Bruno Fernandes no Roy Keane or Bryan Robson but legendary Man Utd captain Steve Bruce explains why ‘petulant’ Portuguese remains best skipper option

That has been the case since a £47 million ($64m) transfer from Sporting was completed in January 2020. Fernandes hit the ground running in English football and has never looked back. He inherited the armband from Harry Maguire in 2023.

The enigmatic midfielder has reached 328 appearances for United, scoring 107 goals along the way. The 2025-26 campaign saw him make history when posting 21 assists across a single Premier League season - knocking Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne from the top of that chart. He was subsequently named PFA and FWA Player of the Year.

There is no questioning Fernandes’ value to the collective cause in Manchester, but certain character traits - such as his penchant for on-field theatrics - have attracted criticism at times. With that in mind, is he the right candidate to skipper the Red Devils?

When that question was put to Bruce, a man that captained United to three Premier League titles - speaking in association with Free Bets, home of the best UK betting sites - told GOAL: “I've been asked this question for so long. Who else would you give it to?

“You can't go back into my day. I mean, in the team I played in, you could put Mark Hughes in there as well, I could put Roy, Robbo, how many? He's been the outstanding player and what he won last night, the Players' Player of the Year, just shows you what professionals think of him too.

“I didn't realise until I just heard that he's 32 next birthday [on September 8]. He's been quite exceptional for Man U over the last five years. His numbers are there for everybody to see.

“Look, he plays with everything he's got. Of course, there's a bit of petulance now and again, but the kid's an outstanding footballer and he produces on the biggest stage of all in a team that has been struggling for a while. This kid has been, in my opinion, the outstanding player for Man U for the last four or five years.”

While Fernandes will continue to lead the way for now, there will come a day when final farewells are bid to the so-called ‘Theatre of Dreams’. A new skipper must be found at that stage.

Another title-winning former Red Devils star, Lee Sharpe, told GOAL recently when asked who could follow in illustrious footsteps: “Captains? I think Harry Maguire has done the job pretty well in previous times. I'm sure you can count on him. [Lisandro] Martinez at the back, I think he's probably captain material.

“I think if he can stay fit and play the way he has done previous seasons, Mason Mount, with his experience, would always be in with a shout. I think he would not necessarily rule by fear, but rule by example. I think there's a few there.

“I don't know if Kobbie's [Mainoo] a big talker in and around the dressing room, but there's certainly a few. I don't know, maybe if Bruno did leave in the next couple of seasons, then someone may come in that will look to be captain as well.”

For now, United are more concerned with getting Fernandes tied down on a new contract. His current deal, which includes the option for a 12-month extension, is due to expire in the summer of 2027.

Michael Owen is among those to have told GOAL how the Red Devils must “break the rules” in a bid to get their captain to stay put, with it scary to think - on the back of a disappointing start to the new season following a shock defeat at Hull City - where the Premier League giants would be without him.