Manchester United: Who should replace Bruno Fernandes as captain?

Sunday’s humbling 7-0 thrashing at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool will naturally have left Erik ten Hag with a flurry of questions demanding instant answers on his way back up the M62 – not least what to do about the club captaincy. 

Harry Maguire has worn the armband for more than three years now, but after being dropped to the bench this season, he is bound for the exit – leaving behind a vacuum that had looked manageable until the end of the season before Bruno Fernandes’ antics in their heavy defeat against the Reds. 

The Portugal playmaker failed to show any leadership or heart on the field, with Sportsmail‘s Ian Ladyman describing him as ‘a baby’ at Anfield – in a performance that saw him repeatedly arguing with officials, team-mates, and opponents – as well as pushing linesman Adam Nunn. 

So with Fernandes seemingly crossing his own name off Ten Hag’s agonisingly short list, where does the Dutchman bestow the armband on a permanent basis? Sportsmail reported this week that Raphael Varane and David de Gea are among those to be considered, as well as recent arrival Casemiro. But after that, Ten Hag is left with very slim-pickings. 

Here Sportsmail takes a look at the contenders to take on the permanent captaincy should it become available at the end of the season.

Bruno Fernandes

The current captain-in-waiting has taken the armband in 31 of his 40 showings for the club this season, and his leadership had been largely incident-free until Sunday’s woeful display. 

Under his stewardship the club ended their six-year wait for a major trophy, and although he is undoubtedly one of the Red Devils’ leading performers on the pitch with seven goals and 11 assists, he showed an inability to lead by example at Anfield. 

There has been indication from sources close to United that the player’s histrionics – which included diving, arguing, finger-pointing, arm-waving and a general lack of positive influence – left many of his team-mates irritated. 

With concerns over his ability to lead the side pre-dating the 7-0 defeat in which he proved oblivious of the need to galvanise his side and be the catalyst for change, such a performance can only serve to harm his hopes of inheriting the role. 

There has been no indication from Ten Hag that there will be a change in the guard, but if United are to press forward with the genuine promise they have shown this season, the sulking Portuguese midfielder is surely out of the question. 

Raphael Varane

United’s French defender is arguably the favourite to take over at Old Trafford – and for good reason, too. Varane rivals Casemiro for his wealth of success at club level, and was a stalwart in the French side that lifted the World Cup in 2018. Name it, he’s won it. 

And although leadership is about far more than winning, a club with the prestige and the ambitions of Manchester United have to be led by a figure that has proven themselves capable of lifting the biggest honours. 

But there is far more to Varane than a bulging trophy cabinet. On Sunday, while Fernandes was storming off towards the tunnel at Anfield, it was the Frenchman who was imploring with his team-mates to applaud the devastated travelling fans. He has been seen giving on-field guidance to Aaron Wan Bissaka, possessing the wherewithal to put his arm around a struggling team-mate.

It is Varane who has led the resurgent Manchester United defence that has been the linchpin of their success this season. He has eight clean sheets in all competitions and has led by example with 51 duels won, 68 clearances, 20 tackles, 78 recoveries and 10 interceptions in the Premier League. 

His English has improved massively since his transfer in summer 2021, and there would be little concern over his ability to communicate with his team-mates in the heat of battle.  

However, concerns remain over his fitness, which has ailed him since his arrival at the club. Last season he managed only 22 league appearances, missing 17 games in total, and has already been ruled out of eight fixtures in 2022-23. 

United are not blessed with many leaders in the side, and with the squad bearing the scars of multiple attempted rebuilds, nor do they have many players with a considerable stint at Old Trafford under their belts. 

But Varane represents arguably the best option for Erik ten Hag given his experience in the game at the highest level. As long as he can stay fit, he could prove a capable leader for a ship that on occasion is painfully without a rudder. 

David de Gea

David de Gea is the longest serving player currently in the United squad, set to reach 12 years at Old Trafford this summer, but despite that position of seniority in the dressing room, has not captained the side since October 2019.

However, the Spaniard is the only regular star to have won the Premier League at the club, and has written himself into the club’s record books as their tenth-highest appearance maker and now has more clean sheets than any other player in their history. 

He has also shown accountability in the past, holding his gloves up to take the responsibility and scrutiny for the defeat at Brentford in August, incurring the majority of the media’s wrath.

There is no doubting his service to the club, but if that was all that was required then he would be wearing the armband already as the senior citizen and arguably a living-legend at United. The fact that he has not been given the armband already suggests that he lacks the required leadership.

But there is one glaring problem with appointing De Gea as the skipper – he might not even be at the club next season. 

Despite being one of the world’s leading goalkeepers – and there was a time he was considered among the cream of the crop in even that elite group – he is yet to agree a contract extension, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season and the club keen for him to take a pay cut on his £375,000-a-week wages. 

He has won trophies with the club, and is undeniably the most experienced in England at Old Trafford with 525 appearances, but his lack of captaincy experience point to a lack of leadership at the club, and with his future uncertain he is far from a favourite to take over. 

Casemiro

Casemiro represents an interesting option for Ten Hag. A long-time world leading midfielder, on paper he would be a very strong contender for the role. 

The Brazilian boasts a trophy cabinet to rival Varane’s, with five Champions Leagues, the experience to match De Gea, and as a central midfielder he is perfectly placed to impact the game and galvanise his team-mates. 

Even his injury record is impeccable. Despite a professional career of 13 years, nine of which came at Real Madrid, Casemiro’s longest spell on the sidelines was just over two months, and has missed only 12 games through injury in the last four seasons.

And in terms of the influence he has on his team-mates, just look at how their results – and more importantly the performances – have changed since his arrival in late August. There is a good case to be made that he has been their most crucial performer this season. 

At the base of a midfield that has come on leaps and bounds in 2022-23, Casemiro is the shot caller for his side and can be seen conducting the play from deep like Bastian Schweinsteiger in his prime. He may not have the captaincy experience to match, but he comes from a Real Madrid side blessed with leaders like Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas who even the most talismanic would struggle to depose.

He is not afraid of having a word with his team-mates when they don’t live up to his own high standards either. Against West Ham in the FA Cup the Brazilian was seen physically remonstrating with Fernandes and calling for him to wake up and focus. The comparisons between the pair are very much there to be seen. 

So why should it not be Casemiro? The glaringly obvious reason is the language barrier. He only arrived at the club last summer, and nobody would have rightfully expected him to have a full grasp of English yet, but unfortunately that will likely hold him back. The last thing Ten Hag needs is to replace a captain-in-waiting that refuses to communicate properly with one who is unable to despite his best efforts. 

But the start of the next season is still some five months away, and if Casemiro can prove himself able to convey the intricate ideas and plans of his manager on the pitch to his team-mates, there is no real argument against Casemiro taking on the armband.  

Marcus Rashford

Such is the absence of genuine leadership figures in the Manchester United dressing room the only real remaining option for Ten Hag would be his star forward Marcus Rashford. 

The England star has got experience leading the side, notably taking on the captaincy in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City as well as leading England to a 1-0 win over Romania in 2021, but after that the well begins to run dry. 

Rashford’s off-pitch behaviour in recent years has also shown him to be a young man of maturity and highlights a capability to look at the bigger picture, which could serve a captain in the heart of a long-term rebuild well, and already has 343 appearances for the club at 25 years of age. 

When they have struggled this season, he has taken on the mantle and fired them to victory, grabbing the headlines with his 25 strikes this campaign, but goals do not a captain make. 

Although it feels like the forward has been around for eons, Rashford comes nowhere near to the experience amassed by his fellow contenders, especially in terms of exposure to the biggest stages in the game, and his position high up the pitch hardly helps his cause. 

None of the 20 current permanent captains in the Premier League are strikers, with Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Patrick Bamford the only three players in deputy roles at their clubs. 

Rashford has proven himself capable of handling pressure, but at this stage in his career it would perhaps be detrimental to thrust this burden on him, especially given his only very recent return to form. Handing the armband to the 25-year-old would surely prove a lack of leaders in the dressing room, rather than an assertion of capability on Rashford’s part.