'Liability' Bruno Fernandes told he must make Man United change after ban

Former Liverpool star Graeme Souness has insisted that Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is not setting the right example for the younger players in the squad after being sent off against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Boxing Day.

The scores were tied at 0-0 when Fernandes received his marching orders for a second bookable offence. As he walked off the pitch dumbfounded by the decision, boss Ruben Amorim chose to let his captain pass by without acknowledgement.

United went on to lose the match 2-0 as Matheus Cunha's goal direct from a corner and Hwang Hee-chan's late effort decided the contest. Unsurpisingly, the display on Thursday evening has led to criticism for Fernandes and the latest to call out the midfielder was Souness in his column for the Daily Mail.

Discussing the United skipper, Souness said: "From his antics when the game is not going well to constantly throwing arms in the air, shrugging his shoulders at teammates - and he wears the armband. You want your captain, your leader, to be setting an example for everyone in that dressing room, that is why you pick him as your captain because he leads by example.

"What example does he set for Kobbie Mainoo, Amad and Alejandro Garnacho, young players all making their way in the game? I think he has become a liability for Manchester United.,

"He has undoubted talent and he will be thinking he should be playing for the very best teams out there but he is not and he is showing negativity which will be damaging to those around him - as with the sending-off against Wolves." Turning to what Fernandes needs to work on, Souness reflected back to the dreadful defeat against Liverpool in March 2023.

"I will never get the image out of my head of how he reacted to going