Journalists James Ducker and Daniel Storey have lambasted the antics of Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes during the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool, with Ducker calling him a 'brat'.

The Lowdown: United abject at Anfield

The Red Devils suffered their heaviest-ever Premier League defeat on Sunday afternoon, quite simply mauled by their most bitter rivals at Anfield.

There was a spell during the first half when United seemed to have taken control of the game, but once Cody Gakpo opened the scoring just before half-time, they never recovered.

It was a day to forget for so many players and Fernandes, who had the armband, was arguably one of the worst individuals on show, both in terms of his lack of impact and attitude.

The Latest: Ducker slams Bruno

Taking to Twitter, The Telegraph's Ducker didn't hold back in his criticism of the Portuguese's display at Anfield, telling Erik ten Hag to take severe action:

"Bruno Fernandes was less Manchester United’s captain than second half super brat at Anfield and Ten Hag cannot allow such a show of rank petulance and insolence to go unaddressed."

Meanwhile, The i Paper's Storey was similarly irritated by the midfielder's abject performance:

"Bruno Fernandes has just totally stopped playing over the last 15 minutes - shoved the assistant referee, moaned about everything, stopped running after the ball. Embarrassment tbh."

The Verdict: Stripped of the captaincy?

Frankly, this was an embarrassing showing from Fernandes, who wasn't all the races all afternoon and ended up behaving like a spoiled child as the minutes ticked by.

The 28-year-old lost possession a total of 14 times on Sunday, also winning just two out of eight ground duels, and he didn't rally the troops in the slightest.

Fernandes couldn't have looked further from a captain at Anfield, giving up during the second half and resorting to playacting, and Ten Hag would be wise to even consider stripping him of the armband, at least temporarily.

A massive response is required from the 53-cap Portugal international, with supporters no doubt left angry by his antics in what is historically United's biggest fixture of the season.