Bruno Fernandes has hit back at Manchester United supporters who believe he aimed a dig at Harry Maguire on Instagram.
Maguire has come under fire after his poor displays in recent weeks, while Ralf Rangnick has been forced to deny reports claiming that he is considering switching the captaincy to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, some United fans felt Fernandes aimed a veiled jibe at Maguire last week as the midfielder posted a picture of himself in between Eric Bailly and Varane on social media with the caption: ‘Feeling very safe between these two’.
Some United supporters read Fernandes’ post as a suggestion that the partnership of Bailly and Varane is his preferred centre-back pairing at the club.
But after United’s 4-2 victory over Leeds United on Sunday, Fernandes moved to dismiss those claims and clarified the message in his post.
‘Honestly, I think people question everything at this club. Every week we have a new story about something,’ Fernandes told Premier League Productions when asked about Maguire.
‘I posted a photo on Instagram where I was [pictured] with Rapha [Varane] and Eric [Bailly] and I said, ‘I feel very secure in the middle with these two’, meaning, ‘security’ like if [someone] comes they are like my bodyguards. And people were complaining [that] I was throwing something at Maguire.
‘But Maguire was not the only defender who was not in the photo. Lindelof was not in the photo, Phil Jones was not in the photo.
‘People want to complain and want to make stories around us, but the most important [thing] is that we stick together and do our jobs on the pitch.
‘Obviously, everyone is really happy with H [Harry Maguire] because it’s really tough being in his place in the last period.
‘Honestly, we all have bad games. And when we don’t win it’s not because H is not playing well, or Bruno is not playing well, it’s because the team is not playing well and it’s not performing in the right way.
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‘For us inside the dressing room is not where we blame someone, but [to] understand how we come out of bad situations.’
