sport news Man United star Bruno Fernandes qualities clear at Sporting Lisbon trends now
Erik ten Hag has quickly come to appreciate the leadership qualities of Bruno Fernandes as he rebuilds Manchester United into a trophy-winning force.
With United's regular captain Harry Maguire dropping down the pecking order, Fernandes has taken the armband in the majority of United's matches this season.
The Portuguese star sets high standards on the pitch - but it turns out this has always been the case.
Erik ten Hag has been impressed with the leadership qualities shown by Bruno Fernandes
The Portuguese star is enjoying an excellent season having worn the captain's armband often
A former coach of Fernandes at Sporting Lisbon, Jose Peseiro, has revealed how the playmaker practically had to be dragged off the training ground every day.
Indeed, it reached the point where Peseiro was worried not necessarily about Fernandes getting exhausted from all the extra practice, but his team-mates suffering from trying to keep up.
Fernandes pictured in the colours of his former club Sporting Lisbon
'He's a true captain. Incredible player with high demands, and not only in the matches - in training, in meetings, at team meals,' Peseiro told the Daily Mirror.
'He showed everybody the maximum motivation that was demanding, he spoke to everybody to make sure we would improve.
'On the pitch, he always wanted to be training. After training, he would stay on the field and convince three or four more, and a goalkeeper, to do more training.
'Sometimes we would do complementary training, but then even after that Bruno Fernandes would stay on the pitch with some team-mates and be with them shooting, or taking free-kicks or working on things.'
Unfortunately, Fernandes' obsession with improvement would sometimes lead to friction.
'Sometimes I would fight with him - I'd say,
