Ruud van Nistelrooy tells Ruben Amorim which Man United star is 'example' to rest of squad

Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed Bruno Fernandes as the ultimate professional, describing him as the "example" to the rest of the Manchester United squad.

The captain will mark his 250th competitive appearance for the club in Sunday's game with Leicester City, having missed just 13 matchday squads since his arrival in 2020. Only two of those were because of injury, with the others either due to illness, yellow card suspensions or for rest purposes.

Fernandes assumed the armband in the summer of 2023, after Erik ten Hag stripped Harry Maguire of that role. Ruben Amorim - who arrives from former club Sporting CP on Monday - will be the sixth different United coach, temporary or permanent, Fernandes has played under at Old Trafford.

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The fifth, Van Nistelrooy, will watch over his latest appearance milestone, having previously hit 200 games under Ten Hag, 100 under Michael Carrick and 50 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Van Nistelrooy has hailed Fernandes as the talisman in the United squad.

"He's an example of how he lives the game as a professional," he told MUFC media ahead of Sunday's impending clash with Leicester - his final match in charge as interim manager.

"And of course as a captain, he's leading the team in being a role model in how to be the best professional he can be. Also, helping others in many situations on and off the pitch. He's a great example and a great captain."

Touching on his 249 outings for United, so far, Van Nistelrooy added of Fernandes: "If you think about it, January 2020 when he came in - it's now November 2024 and I