Bruno Fernandes has answered his Manchester United captain critics for now

Bruno Fernandes will be under no illusions following the start to the Premier League season about the scrutiny which surrounds the Manchester United captaincy.

After Harry Maguire was thrust into the limelight and proceeded to wilt under the pressure, Fernandes has earned his shot at leading this team. His performances under the dark end of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era and the Ralf Rangnick period showed he has the capabilities to succeed in the role.

And his ability to unite the dressing room, which is often showcased on social media after full-time, is an underappreciated talent which will only benefit United. However, the dark side of Fernandes threatened to come out following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

His comments after the game in North London, when he criticised the officials for failing to award a penalty in the first half meant, rightly or wrongly, the Portuguese midfielder was portrayed as whinger. While he did hold his team to account post-match, that was somewhat was buried by his thoughts on the officials.

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Rather expectedly, pundits lined up to declare him as being unfit to wear the armband. Those same critics will be less quick to praise Fernandes for his response.

Those in attendance at Old Trafford witnessed the midfielder'sstrengths as captain, leading by example after an atrocious United start against Nottingham Forest. Fernandes set up the equaliser and scored the winner. But despite that showing, a warning still hangs over the 28-year-old.

As captain, as soon as another poor result comes along, there could be a rush to point the finger at him. Fernandes must now show his growth. Erik ten Hag clearly sees the right characteristics in the