Manchester United captain criticized for behaving like a 'child'

Bruno Fernandes faced accusations of childish behavior following his missed penalty in the 1-1 draw against Fulham on Sunday, while doubts have been raised about his captaincy at Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes was criticized after two disappointing matches for Manchester United. In the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage against Fulham, the Portuguese midfielder missed a crucial penalty. After a minor collision with referee Chris Kavanagh, Fernandes claimed it disrupted his usual penalty routine. This statement immediately drew sharp criticism from former Arsenal star Theo Walcott.“That was a childish reaction, something you might see from kids, not a professional athlete, especially the captain of Manchester United,” Walcott said on the show It’s Called Soccer! He also compared that if it were Ronaldo or Odegaard, they certainly wouldn’t have reacted in such a manner.

Fernandes admitted on Sky Sports that he was “very upset” for not receiving an apology from the referee but insisted the missed penalty was due to a technical error: “I placed my foot too low, which caused the ball to go over the bar.” However, these explanations did little to ease the criticism aimed at him, especially amid United’s declining form..

Coach Ruben Amorim defended his player, stating that Fernandes is carrying too much responsibility and felt the missed penalty as a significant blow to the whole team. Yet just days later, tragedy struck again when MU was eliminated by Grimsby from the Carabao Cup on penalties. Fernandes didn’t start but came on in the second half, scoring twice in the shootout, but United still went out.

Nevertheless, a rare positive for Fernandes was his leadership attitude following the defeat. He immediately comforted new signing Bryan Mbeumo, who missed the decisive penalty, and escorted his teammate off the pitch as fans flooded the field. From blaming the referee to showing maturity by supporting his teammates, Fernandes is causing mixed reactions but also recognition of his captaincy role at Old Trafford.