Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes was the most hardworking player in the Premier League in 2023 after it was confirmed that the Portuguese covered the most distance – 451.8km.
The Red Devils skipper has constantly received criticism from Roy Keane, with the former Man United star claiming back in October that he is unqualified to captain the club following the loss to Manchester City.
The statistics do not lie, and the hardest worker in the land surely is good enough to lead the Old Trafford club, isn’t he?
Fernandes was also the most creative player in the English top-flight last year as he created the most chances (133) and created the most chances (100) from open play.
Man United manager Erik ten Hag knew exactly what he was doing when he chose the 29-year-old to replace Harry Maguire as captain.
His teammates clearly also approved of the decision, and no matter what Keane and others think, Fernandes has what it takes to captain the Red Devils.
It is no fault of his that his teammates are not converting the chances he is creating, and it is high time people stopped using him as the scapegoat anytime the results do not go as expected.
Fernandes has created nine big chances and produced 18 through balls this season – only West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta (19) has more.
He has a decent return of three goals and three assists in 19 league games, and there is no doubt that he would be doing better if he had better and hungrier teammates.
Many people have questioned his negative body language when things are not going well on the pitch, but no one can ever question his willingness to work his socks off.
