Erik ten Hag has made a decision on the Man United captaincy after 7-0 Liverpool thumping

Erik ten Hag has made a decision on the Manchester United captaincy after the 7-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday.

The Red Devils completely capitulated at Anfield, conceding six second half goals in their worst ever defeat for 92 years.

Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mo Salah all struck twice, with Roberto Firmino notching the final goal in a humiliating day in United's history.

United's underperforming stars were destroyed for their displays, with Bruno Fernandes in particular getting plenty of pastings from fans and pundits alike.

The Portugal international has worn the armband for large parts of this season but looked the absolute opposite of a leader in the game.

He produced two horrific bits of play-acting, pushed a linesman and completely gave up when 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic went past him.

Gary Neville labelled him "embarrassing" and a "disgrace" for his constant arm-flailing. Just a week on after he lifted the Carabao Cup, there have been calls for Ten Hag to strip Fernandes of the captaincy in response to his "shameful" petulant behaviour.

And though Ten Hag has not shied away from big calls, according to The Sun, there are no plans to remove Fernandes from his duties just yet.

A source told the newspaper: "Bruno will remain United captain. He spoke after the game as well and told his team-mates they had to bounce back.

"He made clear there was still so much to play for and the manager believes Bruno is the right man to lead the team."

Ten Hag laid into his players after the game and made them listen to Liverpool's celebrations, while Fernandes is believed to have spoken to his teammates.

However, the Daily Mail say there are concerns from United's players that he might not be the best fit long-term when it comes to the captaincy, with many "irritated" by his antics on Merseyside.

Harry Maguire is widely expected to move on and it's said Casemiro, Raphael Varane and David de Gea are deemed to be better equipped for the role.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, Liverpool

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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