The Brazilian was selected by his fellow team-mates to succeed David Silva as Club captain for the 2020/21 campaign in the wake of El Mago’s departure this summer.
The midfielder has won virtually honour there is to win in the game in his seven years at City since moving to the Etihad from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 having won three Premier Leagues, five Carabao Cups and the FA Cup.
But he says the honour of being afforded the City captain’s armband is a unique and powerful privilege and he credits his colleagues with helping him adapt to the new role in every way possible.
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“It feels good. For me, personally, it’s a big honour, I’m so proud. Since I came here, I had lots of respect from everyone, so now I become the captain,” the Brazilian reflected.
“It’s good, I try to put everything in place, especially off the pitch. Because what we do off the pitch obviously affects what happens on the pitch as well, so that’s the way I think.
“They know me very well and when you have someone you can trust, you can put some more effort in training sessions and in the game because, at the end of the day, we are here for one purpose and we all go together in the same direction
“I think the captain never works alone so you have extra help as well, but for sure we have guys who can manage some situations as well.
“Teammates that have been at the club for a long time and they know exactly how this team runs and how the club works, such as Kun Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan.
“All of them could be captains, you know their mentality, they are a bit older as well and they understand much better the team and the club than when they arrived five or six years ago.”
Reflecting on his time at the Club, Ferna said that he had been afforded nothing but respect in his seven years living in the City.
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And he says that he and his family have become so accustomed to life in the North West that he now considered himself a ’half Mancunian!’
“One of the most important things to me is how the people behave around here, how much they respect you. Anywhere you go they show that respect, they have it for everyone,” Fernandinho continued.
“People here respect you. This has really touched me, so maybe I can consider myself almost half Mancunian already. I need to spend more time here to be a full Mancunian but for sure, my kids already have the Mancunian accent.
“I’m so glad because since my first day here, me and my family have had a very good time and we have always felt respected by everybody.
“The people respect us and, for sure, in the future, Manchester will always be in our hearts.”
Ferna and City’s immediate focus is on Saturday’s return to Premier League action away at newly promoted Leeds United.
The game comes at the end of a week in which Portuguese central defender Ruben Dias became our third signing of the summer transfer window joining Ferran Torres and Nathan Ake.
With American goalkeeper Zack Steffen also having joined the first team, the signings have given a fresh look to the City squad.
And, for his part, Fernandinho believes the newcomers arrival will help lift the standards and sharpen the focus of everyone at the Club.
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“It’s not just his signing [Ruben Dias], but also Ferran Torres, Nathan Ake and Zack Steffen. It’s important to have new blood, new faces, new players in the dressing room,” the midfielder added.
“They can challenge the old guys who maybe can be in some comfortable zone or place, so the new guys come with the hunger to try to get a spot in the team and the competition in the team increases. It’s good for everyone.
“Whatever they need, we are here to try to settle them into the team as soon as possible, so hopefully, they can show their quality, their skills and help the team to win the games.”
