When Fernandinho was still around, the guys who hear it all in the dressing room were talking about Ilkay Gundogan. He wasn’t the one wearing that armband but seemed to be the man who picked his moments for leadership.
Manchester City have a few big characters in their squad, with louder voices. There are brasher individuals, perhaps even more confident. Gundogan’s ascent to captain is, on the surface, surprising. A quiet man. Polite, thoughtful. A thinker.
Yet the speeches referenced as big ones in Fernandinho’s final year were those from the technical craftsman in their midfield.