Bruno Fernandes has brushed off question marks around his leadership style and says he often throws his arms in the air as gestures are the only way to communicate on the field.
Manchester United captain Fernandes has come in for fierce criticism since he moved to Old Trafford – from the likes of Roy Keane and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in particular – for his demonstrative style which can be interpreted as disappointment at his team-mates.
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And while the Portugal international admits not every player likes his on-field persona he insists he always has the team’s best interests at heart.
He told Portuguese newspaper A Bola: “It [being a leader] is natural, I don’t think about it that much.
“There are some players that like it and others that don’t. But for us, on the field, it is difficult to convey messages the way we are talking here. It’s practically impossible.
“Usually we have to use our arms more, to gesture. We are too far away from each other to be able to understand the messages we want to convey to each other.
“It’s natural, it’s not because I want to be more of a leader. It’s part of my game, I never hid regardless of whether I am with younger or older players.
“If I have to transmit a message I will always do it for the benefit of the team.”
The former Sporting CP man admits, though, that he is always willing to change if a particular player is irritated by his way of communicating.
He added: “I have this notion that there are players who don’t like certain things that I do. But in every dressing room I go in, I always say that if a player is not comfortable with the way I talk to them, with the way I convey my messages, I am open to not doing it or doing it another way.
“I probably have a lot to improve on but I am trying to do it in order to get the most out of my team-mates.”
