CAPTAIN BRUNO TAKES UNITED TO PARIS
Ole shocks Fernandes by giving him armband out of the blue for PSG tie
THE raised eyebrows said it all. Bruno Fernandes had just become the first professional footballer to be appointed captain on a Zoom press conference call. From a room deep within Parc des Princes, Fernandes’ surprise was plain to see as he sat alongside Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last night.
Who is going to wear the armband in Paris tonight in the absence of injured skipper Harry Maguire? Solskjaer was asked by the media.
‘The captain sits next to me,’ he replied rather dramatically. ‘ Bruno will captain the team tomorrow.’
Apparently no one had thought of informing Fernandes himself. The midfielder’s pride was mixed with a sense of shock.
‘I was not expecting this,’ he exclaimed. ‘I found out this the same time as you!
‘It is an honour and an important achievement for me.
‘But the captain is everyone — everyone needs to help and be a leader in their way.’
The 26-year-old playmaker is no stranger to the role. He was captain of Sporting Lisbon before moving to Old Trafford in January and has exuded a sense of leadership wherever he has played in his career.
Although United were forced to deny reports that Fernandes had been critical of team-mates during a stormy half-time exchange in the 6-1 defeat against Tottenham earlier this month, he certainly has that in his locker.
‘I think I grew up like this,’ he added last night. ‘It’s the way I have to be in life and in football too. It’s my character.
‘Sometimes it’s too much and sometimes other players are less confident. I think I can help the team with the way I am.
‘All the players are driven and you need all of the different characters to complete a very good team.’
Solskjaer’s decision is also timely, coming on the back of speculation in Portugal last week that Fernandes is losing faith in his manager.
The player subsequently denied any discord and his performance in the 4-1 victory at Newcastle on Saturday was not that of a man harbouring issues. ‘ Bruno has definitely come in and had a great positive impact,’ said Solskjaer.
‘That was the turning point of our season. If he has not changed the team, then he’s sparked something in the team and I hope we’ve sparked something in his career.’
It would be intriguing to know now what Paul Pogba, who is already ady said to be unhappy that t Fernandes occupies the advanced role he covets, thinks of his team-mate’s promotion.
Not long ago, Pogba would have been a prime candidate to step in for Maguire but he landed back in France yesterday with his United career once again in stagnation.
Maguire was not the only ly absentee when the squad left eft Manchester.
New signing Edinson Cavani, ni, the former PSG striker who was desperate to face his old club, ub, stayed to build up his fitness ess after training just twice at Carrington.
Eric Bailly, Jesse Lingard and Mason Greenwood also miss the trip, with Solskjaer denying that hat the latter’s exclusion had anything hing to do with a disciplinary issue.
The situation could be compared to United’s last visit to Paris in March 2019 when an under-strength side stunned Paris Saint- Germain to win on away goals. But Solskjaer was not about to get carried away by the nostalgia of his finest hour as the club’s manager. ‘That’s history for us,’ he said. ‘It’s in the past.
‘It’s great history, a great game, but it has no impact whatsoever on this game.
‘We’re a different team, they’re a different team and it’s a different stage of the competition. Without supporters, it will also be a different game.
‘I thought last time when we got the early goal that impacted the crowd. So it’s a new situation.’
PSG boss Thomas Tuchel was equally happy to consign that game to history and even ignore his team’s run to the Champions League final in August, as he was asked if they are favourites to win this Group H opener.
‘We don’t have good memories,’ said Tuchel. ‘We had a great run last season in the Champions League and now it’s a challenge not to think too much about last season or two seasons ago.
‘It’s a new page. This is a tough competition and to think whether we are the favourites won’t help now.’