Bruno Fernandes, according to Paul Ince, is not playing his best football and should not be Manchester United’s captain.

The Portuguese midfielder put in one of his greatest games of the season as United defeated Everton 3-0 thanks to Alexandro Garnacho’s miraculous goal, but Ince is unimpressed.

‘I’m not sure what I see in Fernandes because he doesn’t play like a leader,’ the former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder told talkSPORT on Monday.

‘I think he’s not playing to his full potential right now.’

After dropping Harry Maguire last season, Erik ten Hag gave Fernandes the captaincy on a temporary basis before making the decision permanent in the summer.

Bruno Fernandes, according to Paul Ince, is not playing his best football and should not be wearing the armband at Manchester United.

Ince stated that Fernandes was not the best choice for the job despite the fact that he did help his teammates.

However, Ince insisted that Fernandes was not the proper choice for the post, claiming that his deficiencies as captain were clear when United began the season with five defeats in their first ten Premier League games. 

‘You do it as a leader by organization,’ he continued.

‘My main goal as captain was to make sure that if I wasn’t playing well, the others around me were. It demonstrates how poor you are at playing. 

‘As a captain, your job is to look about and get people to play well. I look at Fernandes and it’s all about him, and I believe you can feel it in his body language if he’s not playing well.’

After Manchester City beat United 3-0 at home last month, Fernandes’ perceived lack of leadership and body language came under great scrutiny.

After the defeat, former United captain Roy Keane singled out Fernandes, claiming the Portugal midfielder’s body language was the “opposite of what you want in a captain.”

‘The first thing I would do is relieve him of the captaincy. ‘I understand it’s a tough decision, but Fernandes isn’t captain material,’ he stated on Sky Sports.

‘He’s a terrific player, but from what I witnessed today, he’s continuously whinging, moaning, and throwing his arms up in the air.

As United has struggled this season, the Portuguese’s attitude has come under fire.

After Manchester City trounced United 3-0 at home last month, Roy Keane stated Fernandes’ body language was the “opposite of what you want in a captain.” 

‘It’s simply not acceptable. When it comes to where they make adjustments – board level, managers – I’d start there because the manager is capable of doing so. 

‘Fernandes is a fantastic footballer, but he is the polar opposite of what you want in a captain.’

Chris Sutton characterized Fernandes as ‘petulant’ and unfit to captain United on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off! podcast with Ian Ladyman.

‘Take a look at some of Manchester United’s outstanding captains from the past. Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, Nemanja Vidic, and Gary Neville are the players. 

‘They’re captains with some clout and power. [They are] the type of person you want to follow out of the tunnel because you feel like you’d run through a wall with him. 

‘I never had the same feelings about Bruno Fernandes. I believe he is petulant.’ 

But, in the win over Everton on Sunday, the Portugal international demonstrated plenty of leadership by delegating penalty duties to Marcus Rashford.

United’s designated penalty taker is Fernandes, but he believed Rashford needed a confidence boost after scoring just once this season.

In the win over Everton, Fernandes delegated penalty duties to Marcus Rashford.

‘I did it because I felt Marcus [Rashford] needed some confidence, he needed his goal,’ he explained to Sky Sports.

‘Marcus is also a superb penalty taker; I am confident he could score that penalty. It’s not about who takes it, but about scoring, and Marcus did just that.’

The victory at Goodison Park returned United to sixth position, four points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa and six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Ten Hag’s men face Galatasaray in Istanbul on Wednesday in a critical Champions League match that they must win to keep their qualifying hopes alive, before traveling to Newcastle on Saturday evening.