Manchester United delivered an impressive performance at the Juventus Stadium to beat Real Sociedad 4-0 in the knockout stages of the Europa League, with talisman Bruno Fernandes having only one thing on his mind after Marcus Rashford scored United’s third goal against Real Sociedad.
The Portuguese had already scored two in the Europa League last-32 first leg to put United in a commanding position and Rashford made things tougher for the Spanish outfit, latching onto a magnificent Fred pass and slotting home.
In the course of the subsequent celebrations, Fernandes broke away to urge his team-mates to celebrate with their substitutes on the side – the reflection of a true touch of class. The magnanimous gesture was noticed by those in the BT Sport studio and Owen Hargreaves warmly praised the playmaker’s leadership.
“Harry Maguire is the captain and has been so important, especially at the back,” said the former midfielder.
“Bruno Fernandes is a leader and his impact has been off the charts. He’s said the right words after games and not critical but it’s about trophies.
“When he tries to bring all the players together, the players on the pitch towards the subs, it shows he’s trying to keep the players together.
“That’s the sign of a real leader.”
Fernandes’s actions only served to confirm that Solskjaer’s initial opinion of his United star was right when, on his mission scouting Fernandes at Sporting Lisbon prior to his Old Trafford arrival, the United boss was taken aback by his personality and leadership.
“When you go and see them live you just get that feeling of the player,” Solskjaer told Sky Sports.
“What impressed me most that day was his personality. We knew about his skills and quality.
“If you follow him and watch him all the time (you notice) that he cares so much and wants to win, he had that fire in him. I thought, yep, that’s the character we need.
“He won’t let anyone down. Letting the team down is the same as letting himself down. He wants to win and he knows we (win) together, everyone plays an important part. He’s been a positive boost.”
Paul Scholes was then asked if Fernandes could eventually take over from Maguire as captain.
“Yeah I can see it,” he replied.
“Does look like a captain. In the forward areas of the pitch them players aren’t captain often.
“I can only think of Shearer who was a good leader and captain. It does tend to be someone in those defensive areas.
“It doesn’t matter, whoever’s captain, you still need leaders out there.”