Bruno Fernandes discovered he will captain Manchester United in their Champions League opener against Paris Saint-Germain during the pre-match press conference.
The Portugal playmaker, who has been a revelation for the Red Devils ever since his switch from Sporting in January, looked as shocked as anyone to find out he will skipper his side at the Parc des Princes when his manager revealed the news to journalists.
Fernandes, 26, has already scored 15 goals for the club and played an instrumental role in helping United qualify for this season’s Champions League after helping them to a third-placed finish last season.
And with Harry Maguire ruled out of the team through injury, he admitted he revealed his surprise at his new role.
“I was not expecting this, I have found out the same time as you!” Fernandes said.
“For me it’s an honour, I will be captain for my teammates and to be captain of Manchester United is an important achievement for me.
“But I think everyone is the captain. Everyone needs to help and be a leader in their own way, leadership is different in every player. Tomorrow will not be about me but the team.
“Leading is every day in the training ground, every game and everyone is doing their job to lead the team in the way they think is best.”
Solskjaer presided over a dramatic 3-1 victory after a 2-0 first leg defeat to PSG in the round-of-16 of the Champions League in March 2019, and he is now returning to the scene of his most memorable triumph as United manager.
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But the boss has insisted the game is a thing of the past and his side are solely focused on getting their new European campaign off to a good start.
“Of course, that’s history for us,” Solskjaer stressed. “It’s in the past. Great history, great game, has no impact whatsoever on this game.
“We’re a different team, they’re a different team. It’s a different stage of the competition. Of course, also without fans it’s going to be a different game. Because in the last game, when we got the first goal early on that impacted the ground, it’s a completely new situation.”
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