Bruno Fernandez: Reuben Amorim praises Manchester United captain after winning a double in a pre-season victory at West Ham United – “He’s our leader.”

The Portuguese midfielder once again led United as they scored both goals in a 2-1 press season victory over West Ham United at New Jersey’s swelling MetLife Stadium.

The 30-year-old had the opportunity to leave Old Trafford in June after a major offer from Al-Hilal on the Saudi side, but decided to stay with Amorim’s joy.

“Last season was very clear,” Amorim said. “You can see it with assists, goals. Not only that.

“I think he has more players now. I felt that on the tour. Now I felt that there were more players to help them lead the group. That’s a good thing.

“But he’s our leader, so that’s really important. He’s not just the field, but also off the field.”

Fernandez scored from a penalty spot for his first goal, then West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola produced a great finish for the second from the outside of the box.

He is United’s most influential playmaker anywhere on the pitch, but he routinely fell deep into the Amorim system last season.

Against West Ham, Amorim used Cobbie Mineu and Manuel Ugarte at the center to free Fernandez and remained in the 10th place role.

“Last year, I sometimes pushed him back and felt like I had more possessions in the buildup and then we missed Bruno near the box,” added Amorim.

“He lives with examples. He works really hard. It’s always available. Sometimes he plays with pain. The problem sometimes gets frustrated and sometimes he loses the focus of his work a little.

“Sometimes he wants to help his teammates that much, so sometimes it’s not the best.

“Bruno has to wait for the ball in a variety of situations. This kind of thing is the leader, but he needs help. And he gets help.”

Fernandez reflected positively in his victory, adding that he felt good and also praised Mateus Cunha for his performance.

“The whole game was good. We were good with the ball. The manager was asking, so we could have kept it in possession for a while – we rushed in the last third as we were trying to score a goal. We’ll work on that.”

Cunha and Fernandes have often clicked on two 10 of Amorim’s team and created an opportunity together so United fans can get a glimpse of what they can expect in the offensive division this season.

“The Brazilians are so loud and very happy,” Fernandez said of Cunha.

“He’s a very funny guy and settled down with everyone very quickly. That’s good because he needs to connect with all the players and make the most of him.”

United will launch Arsenal’s Premier League campaign at home on Sunday, August 17th.