Andy Cole, a former Manchester United striker, has informed Fernandes that pointing at his teammates is not a sign of a team player.

When Andy Cole, a former striker for Manchester United, tosses his arms in despair while wearing the armband during a game, he is, in Cole’s opinion, being “disrespectful” to his teammates.

Cole said he understood the playmaker’s mindset because times have changed, characterizing the playmaker’s captaincy approach as “different.” When playing versus United, Fernandes has come under fire for his expressive gestures.

He received additional criticism for his harsh tackles toward the conclusion of the team’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City last month and for raising an arm in the direction of an official during the team’s 7-0 loss to Liverpool last season.

After being benched for most of the previous season, Fernandes was given the opportunity to assume Harry Maguire’s captaincy during the summer. At the time, many people thought Fernandes was the best person for the job; nevertheless, later on, several people have questioned Erik ten Hag’s selection.

After the derby loss, Roy Keane said he would have removed the Portugal star’s captaincy, while Gary Neville proposed that the midfield player would be better off resigning from the position at the end of the campaign.

Cole is among many who are uneasy with the current circumstances, and there has been worry over the club’s lack of other skipper possibilities. He explained to Betfred what he had been thinking about Fernandes as captain.

“First and foremost, captains now are different to captains in my day and they lead in a different way,” Cole said.

“If you look at all the captains in the Premier League currently, how many of them share characteristics with captains from ten or twenty years ago? Not many do.

“There’s talk about Bruno Fernandes not being the right choice for captain, but if you look around the Manchester United dressing room currently, then who else would you give the captaincy to instead?

“There’s not four or five standout contenders. When I was at the club, you could have possibly given the captaincy to Jaap [Stam], Denis [Irwin], Peter [Schmeichel], Giggsy (Ryan Giggs) or Scholesy (Paul Scholes).

“There were so many options back then but nowadays, players are different and lead in a different way.”

Regarding Fernandes’ style of leadership, Cole remarked that at times, it seems as though he lacks regard for his teammates. “Bruno leads in a different way and I understand it,” he continued.

“I can also understand that people don’t want to see a captain waving his arms about in frustration, which I personally believe is disrespectful to his teammates, but at this moment in time, he’s the man and he will captain the side in a way which he believes is beneficial to himself and his teammates.”