Ian Wright says Bruno Fernandes was “laughing” at Erik ten Hag when substituted at Brighton | OneFootball

Arsenal legend Ian Wright was left bemused by Erik ten Hag’s substitutions during Manchester United’s recent defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion, and thinks that United captain Bruno Fernandes was “laughing” at his manager as he was being replaced.

Speaking on his Wrighty’s House podcast, the former Arsenal striker said, “I can’t understand why [ten Hag] took Bruno off,” as per Football365.

Fernandes was substituted in the 79th minute with the score at 1-1 as United looked to bounce back from a cruel twist of fate.

Alejandro Garnacho thought he had bagged his first of the season to give the Reds the lead, but his tap-in was disallowed for offside after the ball struck the knee of summer signing Joshua Zirkzee an inch from the goal line.

But for the Dutchman’s knee, Fernandes would have had an assist as he grew into the game during an increasingly frantic second half, but his involvement was cut short much to Wright’s confusion.

The Arsenal icon pointed out that “if anyone’s going to win a game for you, it’s probably going to be Bruno”, and there is weight to his words – since arriving at Old Trafford in 2020, Fernandes has spared United’s blushes time and again.

The Portuguese has racked up 79 goals and 67 assists in 236 appearances, and after signing a new contract earlier this summer, his importance is not going unnoticed.

But with United desperate for a goal, Ten Hag opted to remove his talismanic captain in favour of Scott McTominay, a recognised poacher of vital goals off the bench but not a natural replacement for the club’s chief creative force.

And Wright implies that Fernandes didn’t take kindly to this move, claiming that he was “smiling and laughing” as he left the pitch.

Ten Hag has had to deal with disciplinary issues and big egos before, ultimately packing Cristiano Ronaldo off to Saudi Arabia after the pair’s personality clashes while his high-profile fallout with Jadon Sancho is still doing the rounds.

But it’s hard to see Fernandes’ reaction as anything more than a dedicated captain frustrated at his removal from the Brighton battleground.

McTominay wasn’t able to replicate his match-winning heroics as he played out his final minutes for his boyhood club – there was no repeat of his stoppage-time double against Brentford last season.

The Scottish midfielder is on his way to Napoli to play under Antonio Conte in a £25m move, with his medical expected later today.

Play for free to win the new United kit! We’re awarding a new prize every PL matchweek, courtesy of Goat Kits! To play, just (1) Join this week’s brand new PL Challenge league here with our league code puu1tk and enter your team. (2) Follow The Peoples Person on X and answer the tie breaker question. Full instructions and rules here. You can also visit Goat Kits at goatkitstore.com and use discount code TPP30 to get 30% off your first purchase!