Under-fire Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes defended by Louis Saha who says Portuguese is 'dedicating his life' to Erik ten Hag's cause

The Manchester United skipper recently got heavily criticised for picking up an unnecessary yellow card in the club's humiliating 3-0 defeat against Bournemouth which has ruled him out of their upcoming crucial fixture against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

But former United striker Louis Saha came into Fernandes' defence as the French star claimed that the Portuguese midfielder's commitment to the club is unquestionable.

Speaking to PaddyPower, Saha said, "I will defend Bruno Fernandes even though he got a silly yellow card [meaning he will miss the Liverpool match]. His type of character is really needed in the Manchester United squad. People aren’t perfect and other captains have made mistakes and are red-carded for really over-aggressive things.

"People are always going to criticise and just months ago, Bruno’s captaincy was called into question. I’m sorry, but Bruno is performing. He’s always running and he’s dedicating his life to United. The quality he has at his disposal, he can’t be someone else."

He added, "People will always find a way to criticise Bruno because he has too much on his shoulders. Other players need to step up and do things that mean he doesn't have to do silly things [like the yellow card against Bournemouth]. He’s just a human being, who is trying to give his all and provide an example. I’m very tolerant of Bruno because he’s one of the few who is delivering regularly, and no-one is perfect."

The Portugal international was cautioned during their clash against the Cherries for arguing with the referee late into the game. The booking was his fifth of the season which means that he will not be able to take the field against league leaders and rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

The 29-year-old was not spared by club legend and pundit Gary Neville after the game as the former England international said he finds the United captain 'frustrating at times.'

Before heading to Anfield, Erik ten Hag's side will first host European giants Bayern Munich in a must-win Champions League fixture on Tuesday.