Pundits react to Bruno Fernandes red card as VAR stance on Manchester United captain explained

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is now facing a suspension after picking up a straight red card against Tottenham Hotspur.

Erik ten Hag was hoping for a response after seeing his Manchester United side draw 1-1 against FC Twente on Wednesday night.

United threw that game away but haven’t even been in a position to squander anything against Tottenham Hotspur.

The first half was a disastrous showing from United and Tottenham went ahead early on.

Nobody came close to Micky van de Ven as he rampaged forward and teed up Brennan Johnson to score.

United were truly dreadful and almost lucky not to be three or even four goals down at the break rather than just 1-0.

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Bruno Fernandes red card explained

Things turned from bad to worse just before the half-time whistle as Bruno Fernandes picked up a straight red card.

The United skipper was given his marching orders by referee Chris Kavanagh after a knee-high tackle on James Maddison.

Fernandes and United fans will though point out that the midfielder slipped in the process of his challenge and a red may have been harsh.

The Premier League Match Centre have now explained how VAR saw the incident.

VAR backed up Kavanagh’s call that Fernandes committed an act of ‘serious foul play’ in his tackle with Maddison, approving the red card in the process.

The red card means that Fernandes will now miss games against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham United.

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Pundits react to Bruno Fernandes red card

VAR may have backed up Kavanagh’s decision but that isn’t stopping pundits from slamming the call.

Rio Ferdinand simply stated ‘never a red’ as the former United defender was left bewildered by Kavanagh’s decision.

Former Premier League striker Jan Aage Fjortoft added that he feels Fernandes should not have been sent off.

Fjortoft highlighted that Fernandes was showing his studs in his tackle on Maddison, but the fact that he was slipping should have seen him avoid a red.

United are now without Fernandes for the second half against Tottenham but also for the next three games.

That is a huge blow for Ten Hag and there are more issues in midfield after Kobbie Mainoo went off injured just after the Fernandes red card.