Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has issued a withering verbal barrage against Bruno Fernandes after the playmaker's "embarrassing" remarks about his former managers.
In an interview released earlier this week, Fernandes spoke of how United had been hindered by hiring bosses with contrasting styles, namely Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. Solskjaer was sacked last November following a dismal start to the season and Rangnick struggled to steady the ship, leading United to their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.
While it has undoubtedly been a turbulent year at Old Trafford, former England international Parker accused "very selfish" Fernandes of attempting to deflect the blame away from himself and his teammates with his comments.
When quizzed on the Portuguese's verdict on his former Red Devils managers, Parker told BeMyBet : "I don't think that's any excuse. There's been a lot of money spent on individuals to play for that club and they haven't signed there to be told what to do all the time.
"A lot was expected of them and they haven't followed through. Nowhere near. It is quite obvious that Bruno Fernandes is saying that to detox himself more than anything. Coming out and saying there have been a lot of managers because you and your teammates haven't been delivering is embarrassing."
During his interview with The Athletic, Fernandes also spoke of how Tottenham were chasing his signature prior to him sealing a move from Sporting Lisbon to United for an initial £47million in January 2020. The attacking midfielder is regarded as a very important player for the Red Devils, yet Parker claims many United fans will resent the fact he did not join Spurs instead.
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"They probably didn't offer as much money as Manchester United," Parker said of Tottenham and their interest in Fernandes. "Which totally makes sense because United do overpay when they are signing players. But it would probably have been a better idea to go to Tottenham because Manchester United are too big of a club for him in the sense that you can see how rubbish he plays when things ain't going right.
"He definitely isn't the kind of disciplined player that Manchester United need and I'm pretty sure that many Man United fans, despite him lifting them during the lockdown period, would say that they've wished he joined Tottenham instead of Man United. Bruno Fernandes is the kind of person, if the boat was sinking, he would be the first person to jump out of it."
This season, Fernandes has struggled to live up to his high standards in terms of output. He has registered just one goal and one assist during eight appearances.
