Bruno Fernandes is set fora key role under Ruben Amorim
(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

'Part of the problem' - Bruno Fernandes Man United worry made clear in brutal Ruben Amorim warning

06 Nov 2024, 17:00 by Tom Coley · Manchester Evening News

Former Manchester United player and assistant coach Mike Phelan is unsure just where Bruno Fernandes fits in at the club as Ruben Amorim prepares to start work on the team.

Fernandes, who had only scored once under Erik ten Hag this season before he was sacked, has three in just two games under Ruud van Nistelrooy. Despite continuing to have a key role at Old Trafford, where he is now captain after Ten Hag made him a public leader of the side, Phelan still has doubts over how he can thrive in a system.

Under Amorim, who had not arrived at Sporting CP before Fernandes left to join United in January 2020, United are expected to shift dramatically into a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 shape. With a pair of narrow No.10s instead of wingers - the wing-backs will be tasked with holding the width - Fernandes looks set to be used in a slightly different position.

He has maintained a strong level of output throughout his career, though, and will be keen to build on a mini-run of form under interim boss Van Nistelrooy. For Phelan, the answers to the great Fernandes debate are not clear. “They’ve got to find a way of getting the best out of Bruno," he said in an interview with the Athletic.

"I think they’re still juggling with that. Is he part of the answer, or is he part of the problem? I don’t know. It’s about trying to make him a little bit more aware of the job at times.”

Fernandes, whilst a keystone moving forward, has been criticised for a lack of defensive know-how, effect in a press, and also of taking matters into his own hands too often when trying to force the issue. Phelan spotted some of the positive (and negative) attributes in his game straight away.

“Bruno did everything that day,” Phelan reflected, speaking of a trip he took to watch Fernandes at Sporting prior to signing him. “No real specific position, but he was everywhere, quite undisciplined. It worked in the environment he was in. What he had was vision, the ability to control the ball, to take a risk and to create something.

“The opportunity came along and we said, ‘He will be a definite improvement on what we’ve got.’ So we went all-in to get him and he didn’t disappoint. Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable about the game. Pretty effective around the place, quite controlling. But he delivered. And he was the right player at the right time for us. A good person."

Did Phelan ever see him becoming so influential? “Ultimately, what we were trying to do was to build on top of that as well," he explained of the plans to get him to impact games. "But he became the focal point of everything, and that was probably down to the group of players we had.

"Then he became captain. That was a decision other people made for whatever reasons, and he probably levelled out a little bit. He probably tried to affect everybody and forgot about himself."

In the time Fernandes spent under Phelan (with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Ragnick), he scored 49 times, assisting 39, in 123 matches. Ten Hag was in charge for 120, as Fernandes managed 61 contributions.

For Amorim, the challenge will be to return Fernandes to his best whilst harnessing the drive to lead a team at the same point. Should he fail to do so, Phelan has warned it could become problematic sooner rather than later.

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