Reuben Amorim has pledged to stick to using Bruno Fernandez in the midfield position despite not playing for the strength of Manchester United captain. Despite Fernandez’s best form for United, who came from a more advanced and offensive role, Amorim used him as a deeper midfielder. The manager’s unwavering adherence to the 3-4-3 system, coupled with the signatures of summer forwards Matthews Cuña and Brian Mbemo, saw Fernandez — the manager admits he’s unhappy with the Red Devils’ struggle this season — pushed him to a role that doesn’t suit him.
In Saturday night’s clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford, Amorim claims that Fernandez will continue in a deeper role, allowing United to have greater control of ownership during the match. “Of course, Bruno wants all the freedom in the world,” Amorim said. “But even when he played the No. 10 role, he is getting the ball back.
“Maybe he doesn’t have the freedom to go inside the box, but he’s there and he’s close to the box and he can do his shots. It makes me want Bruno to have more depth, more possessions, more control over the game – and we’re doing it.
“Maybe because Mateus Cunha might not have been there, but if Cunha wasn’t there, we might have missed a bit of Bruno before.
“But I’m looking at Bruno a lot. He’s frustrated because he’s not winning the game. Sometimes he likes to move forward even further, but he’s not at work yet. And the important thing is that Bruno isn’t playing well. It’s the team.
United, who finished 15th last season, has only secured four points from their first four games of the season, finishing 14th in the league table, and has already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League 2 Grimsby.
When asked why United still struggled this season, despite having a full season under him with £236 million in the summer and a perfect season under him, Amorim said, “I think it’s all. It’s conviction. It’s confidence. It’s offense.
“And what we call luck is how you can play the game with more convictions. Liverpool has beaten all the games.
“Sometimes, with us, I feel the opposite. We’re playing well, but something’s going to be wrong. So we need to change that, but it’s just a win.
“We’re good at the game and then we draw (or lose). In all these moments, I think we can do better. That’s our fault.
Altay Bayindir started ahead of new signing Senne Lammens with United’s 3-0 derby loss last weekend at Manchester City. However, Amorim warned both goalkeepers that he must compete in the No. 1 spot of the season.
“No one has a place that’s his,” Amorim said. “Everyone has to fight. Everyone is fighting for the place. I’m just trying to win the game. I’m trying to see the best option to win the next game. At the end of the season, it’s going to be another team on the pitch.
“We’re trying to win the game, play better and get the best connections to ultimately score points. Our opponents don’t have the same amount of opportunity as last season, but if we can’t win in the end, that doesn’t matter.
