Manchester United vice-captain Bruno Fernandes has been at the short end of the stick having been heavily criticised this season for his deplorable attitude on the pitch, with his most recent bad boy display during the 7-0 mauling by Liverpool that made the Portuguese midfielder and his mates on the pitch look like the ‘cow’s a__’, to borrow a bizarre phrase spouted by their Dutch gaffer Erik ten Hag most recently.
Fernandes has at least been frank to a certain extent in admitting that he is known to overstep the line but maintained that he is never acting out of disrespect to others despite his actions awkwardly saying otherwise.
The Portuguese has been receiving heavy flak in some quarters this season for his lamentable attitude during matches, the most recent of which was during the 7-0 decapitation by suddenly resurrected Liverpool, which led former United skipper Gary Neville to brand the Reds’ vice captain a ‘disgrace’ in the second half.
Ahead of United’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Fernandes addressed criticism of his behaviour in an interview with Sky Sports and insisted that he has no intentions to disrespect either the team, opponents or officials.
He said: “I think, obviously, that sometimes I do go over the line, I know that. It can happen in a game and it is difficult to control the emotions but I never try to be disrespectful with anyone.
“We are all competitive, we all want to win and I just think that the way I play, the way I feel the game, the passion I have for the game is the way I feel better and the way I can give the most to my team and to my club. That is why I play in that way. Also, I have been like that since I was seven-years-old. I don’t want to lose any game.
“I am really competitive, I am always trying to push and give the best of myself but also pushing of the others the best of themselves because if on the pitch I see someone and I am trying to say something to them, it is because I believe that they can do better than what they are doing.
“Sometimes it is just giving credit to them but on the television you cannot see that, you can see the waving of the arms and everything but the waving of the arms does not mean you are moaning at someone. Sometimes, it is just the way that you express yourself on the pitch in front of 75,000 in Old Trafford where it is difficult to make yourself heard or listen to other people so you have to make gestures with your arms.
“I can understand beyond that but I cannot control that. We all know the pundits have to say something, they have to give their work and most bad things they say we just have to live with that.
“For me it is about my teammates being okay and happy with that and whenever they are not I like them to tell me so I can calm myself down.”
From the pitch he has made to launch a defense of himself and his heavily-lambasted deplorable lack of sportsmanship in certain key matches, it is obvious the current skipper of Manchester United is certainly not shoddy at least in speaking up for himself and throwing a few under-the-belt punches at those who do not see eye-to-eye with him.