Ruben Amorim, the head coach of Manchester United, believes that if the team had more players like Bruno Fernandes, they wouldn’t be in this problem right now.
In the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford, the United captain took the lead.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, said that the Portuguese player was “too clever for us and the referee” because he strategically positioned his first-half free kick to give himself a better chance to put United ahead.
After the game, the ball was estimated to be 11.2 yards from the wall instead of the 10 yards required by the rules.
“It was really good execution, but yes, the wall was too far back,” former Newcastle goalie Shay Given told BBC Match of the Day.
“Bruno has the edge even if the referee might have simply miscounted it. Bruno can hit the ball faster because it is only 11 yards away.
Given the way the Irishman spoke about Fernandes on The Overlap podcast last week, former United captain Roy Keane may not be a fan of the player.
Amorim, however, wishes he had a few others like him.
“We need more Brunos; that is clear,” he stated.
It’s more than just the character and quality. Despite his occasional errors, he is incredibly decisive both with and without the ball.
He consistently takes the lead. Sometimes he can be irritable, which can injure him more than anyone else. I recognise that. He desires victory.
“But he is always available, can play in different positions, and when we need a goal and an assist, he is always there.”
To what extent does Fernandes contribute to United?
With seven goals this season, Fernandes is now United’s leading Premier League scorer. He leads United’s scoring rankings with 12 goals across all competitions.
However, it doesn’t stop there.
Fernandes has contributed 14 goals to United’s 14th-place finish in the league. That’s more than anyone else, no surprise.
However, only Amad has more than Marcus Rashford’s five, highlighting the 30-year-old’s crucial role in preventing United from sinking to the bottom of the table.
Only Mohamed Salah of Liverpool (177) and Son Heung-min of Tottenham (124) have contributed to more goals than Fernandes (109) since he made his United debut in February 2020.
Fernandes is obviously needed by Amorim in the near and medium term as he seeks to enhance United’s performance and appeal as a team to watch.
Against Arsenal, the home team possessed 31.8% of the ball, continuing a trend that has persisted since Jose Mourinho took over as manager: the team performs best when they play on the counterattack.
Amorim is eager to change that on a day when a large number of United supporters demonstrated against the club’s ownership.
He told Sky Sports, “You can’t play like that too much when you’re coaching Manchester United.” “You must make an effort to win the match.
This club has a long-term presence. That’s obvious. This is a huge industry, and perhaps all of the league’s supporters occasionally feel that it’s more difficult to attend games and get tickets.
“We want to put a lot of work into them. We won’t play that way in the future.”