Former Manchester United star Paul Parker has called out Bruno Fernandes and demanded more consistency from the Portuguese midfielder.
Fernandes was hailed for his performance against Liverpool in January, as the United captain was pivotal for Ruben Amorim's side as they largely outplayed their Anfield hosts.
The 30-year-old grabbed the assist for Lisandro Martinez's opener and played a sensational through ball to Joshua Zirkzee in the final seconds but Harry Maguire blazed the resulting chance over the bar.
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Despite his great performance, questions have been raised over Fernandes' captaincy, with three red cards already this season.
Parker, speaking exclusive to SPORTBible via a leading betting site, said he wouldn't currently build the team around Fernandes.
Parker won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, and the Charity Shield during his time at Old Trafford.
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"I would look at the players that have been consistent to build around, like Mainoo and Ugarte," Parker began.
"If Fernandes plays as he was against Liverpool rather than the player that we see in the majority of games where we see him just flapping his arms about and wanting to just whack the ball long all the time, then yes they can build around him alongside Mainoo and Ugarte.
"And then add in Diallo, and that’s the four that you build around. I’m still a fan of Martinez and there’s still a player there, and of course, Mazraoui is the other one that I would build around, so I would say that’s the group Amorim needs to build around," he added.
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Amorim's side currently sit 13th in the Premier League after just two wins in his opening nine games.
United are seven points off the drop with over half the season played, and Amorim has even admitted a relegation fight could be on the cards if things don't improve.
Amorim will begin United's defense of the FA Cup on Sunday against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal at The Emirates.
Topics: Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Premier League, FA Cup, Ruben Amorim, Liverpool
Tom Jenkins