Graeme Souness: Bruno Fernandes ‘obviously not a leader’

Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has told William Hill’s new podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, that Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes “obviously” does not have the attributes to be a leader on the field, describing his attitude during United’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in March as “appalling”.

Speaking on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan, a brand-new podcast hosted by the former Crystal Palace owner who speaks to sports stars and celebrities and challenges their opinions whilst scrutinising their careers, Souness said: “Bruno Fernandes is obviously not a leader, it’s as plain as the nose on the end of your face. His attitude when they went 3-0 down at Liverpool was appalling. You certainly would not want to be in the trenches with him.

“When you become a captain of a football team it’s about setting an example on the pitch and off it. To have a successful football club, you need good senior players and professionals. I look at myself when I walked through the door in Liverpool, how I changed in the seven years I was there, and what I was like when I left. I wasn’t the best player when I walked through the door, but I learned from some very serious football players, and seven years later when I become a senior, I like to think that I passed that information on. 

“In the case of Bruno, you’ll see him be a star when you’re on top of the opposition and on the front foot, and he can be a real talent, but he showed a side to him that day at Anfield which was very unattractive. Erik ten Hag has then chosen to overlook it because he knows going forward that Bruno will win him games and score goals. But he’ll think, the next time he comes up against a really difficult situation, is he going to go missing? I think he already knows the answer to that.”

Man City best English team I’ve seen – their players lead from the front

Expanding on his views about Bruno Fernandes’ attitude on the field, Souness referenced the success of Manchester City this season, who find themselves in the running to complete a historic treble with a month of the campaign to play.

“I think the fact that Erik ten Hag backed Bruno up is another example of modern management – the tail wags the dog in football these days,” he said. “There’s only one club in the country where that doesn’t happen and that’s Manchester City, where the manager is all-powerful, and the players respect him.

“City right now have the best group of players that I have ever known in my 50 years in the English game. There are players in there that lead from the front. You only actually ever need one to lead from the front and the rest will pile in behind. When they make a substitution, other than with Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, it’s a like for like in terms of quality.

“The best players are often the ones that you don’t have to spend time on, you just guide them, and you don’t really have to have any harsh words with them. Part of the reason they are top players is because they realise when you should be training harder, what you should be doing on a match day, and no one needs to tell you that, so in that respect the manager has an easier ride.”