Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has admitted that he actually 'felt sorry' for stand-in captain Bruno Fernandes following Sunday's humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
The Portugal international, who has sported the captain's armband for almost all of this season in Harry Maguire's absence, has faced a wave of criticism following his performance against the Merseysiders. The attacking midfielder was guilty of failing to lead by example and theatrically throwing himself to the turf holding his face after a collision with Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate during the latter stages of the contest.
Fernandes wilted as the game progressed and even though manager Erik ten Hag refused to publicly namecheck any of his players in his post-match interviews, the former Sporting Lisbon man was criticised on social media. He was also slammed by former United captain Gary Neville, who said he'd "had enough of him throwing his arms around".
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However, fellow former United star Scholes, though he acknowledged that Fernandes had a difficult afternoon at Anfield, was less critical of the 28-year-old. He focused on the fact that the midfielder has had to operate in several different roles this season, including on the left-wing on Sunday, with Wout Weghorst preferred in the No.10 position.
"I actually feel sorry for him when he's played," Scholes told Premier League Productions. "He's been pushed out to many positions to do a job for the team.
"He was on the left today (Sunday), he's been on the right, he's played through the middle – he has been a little bit all over the place.
"You can't say any of the players performed the way they should have done but I thought he was especially poor today, it wasn't his greatest afternoon. But I think there are a couple of players in that team that when it comes to big games like this I don't think they're quite at the level."
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