Ex-Man Utd star wades into Bruno Fernandes debate after Red Devils fans call him "pathetic"

Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown has leapt to the defence of current Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes after he was the subject of intense criticism.

To make matters worse for the United skipper, the bulk of the backlash came from his own fans, who are growing increasingly frustrated by the way Erik ten Hag's side are performing this term. Last weekend saw United slump to a 10th league defeat of the campaign at the hands of Fulham, with Alexi Iwobi netting a winner deep into second-half stoppage time to hand the Cottagers a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.

In the aftermath of the contest, a video of an incident involving Fernandes quickly did the rounds on social media, with many supporters furious with what they perceived as diving from the Portugal international. The 29-year-old went down writing around in 'agony', despite replays showing minimal contact between him and Fulham ace Sasa Lukic.

Adding insult to fake injury, Fernandes soon shot up to his feet after referee Michael Oliver made clear he'd be getting nothing and was quickly demanding the ball from his team-mates who were still on the attack. His conduct was the talk of United fans online, but Brown has offered up a different perspective.

Speaking to Live Score Bet, the five-time Premier League winner explained: "I've seen a few of those where he dives and he gets up and then he's back on but listen, a lot of players do it But listen, Bruno is one of the most hard-working players on the team.

"The manager decided to make him captain and like I said, we've all been frustrated at times, not just with any individual, but the team."

Brown continued and even suggested that other players within United's current crop should actually follow Fernandes' lead. He added: