Pep Guardiola reportedly once used Bruno Fernandes as an example to make one thing absolutely clear inside the Manchester City dressing room.
The legendary manager spent years building a culture at the Etihad based not only on quality and winning trophies, but also on discipline, mentality and unity between players.
Guardiola famously demanded complete control over behaviour both on and off the pitch during his time at City.
Even during difficult moments in matches, the Spaniard reportedly never tolerated players publicly turning on teammates.
That message became especially important after one Manchester derby earlier this season. Manchester City comfortably defeated Manchester United 3-0 at the Etihad.
At one point during the match, cameras caught Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes angrily gesturing towards teammates after Phil Foden opened the scoring for City.
According to The Athletic, that moment immediately caught Guardiola’s attention.
The report claims Guardiola later showed City players clips of Fernandes reacting angrily towards his own teammates during the post-match debrief.
The former City manager reportedly made it very clear that such behaviour would never be accepted inside his squad.
Guardiola’s reaction highlighted one of the biggest cultural differences between the two Manchester clubs during recent years.
Manchester City players rarely publicly criticised teammates during matches, even when performances collapsed.
Meanwhile, Fernandes often faced criticism for his emotional reactions during difficult moments for United.
Despite criticism, Bruno Fernandes still delivered another outstanding individual campaign for Manchester United.
The Portuguese star helped inspire United’s revival under Michael Carrick after Ruben Amorim’s departure earlier in the season.
Fernandes eventually finished the campaign with a record-breaking 21 Premier League assists.
The 31-year-old also collected multiple individual awards, including the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year prize.
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