Fernandes stood out as a rare positive in what was a challenging campaign for the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim. ..Continue Reading
The Portuguese playmaker delivered an impressive tally of 19 goals and 19 assists across all competitions, despite the team’s overall difficulties.
Following a summer overhaul, Fernandes has been assigned a new role in midfield this season.
Traditionally an attacking midfielder, the 31-year-old is now operating deeper in the midfield duo within Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 setup, while new arrivals Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo occupy the more advanced positions.
Although Fernandes has occasionally played in deeper roles for both club and country, Burley feels Amorim is misusing his skillset by consistently deploying him there.
‘They have got no legs in midfield, we’ve talked about this with Casemiro and Ugarte,’ Burley told ESPN. ‘Bruno Fernandes is playing there, but it’s not his position.
‘He doesn’t understand the defensive aspects and the positional aspects of being a deeper-lying midfielder.
‘And it also negates, which we’ve talked about at length, his ability to influence 30 yards further up the field.’
During the international break, Fernandes addressed his role under Amorim, saying: ‘I love playing football, whatever the position.
‘They can put me at full-back, winger, goalkeeper. I’ll always give my best.
‘Everyone has their preferences, but we have to adapt to the coach’s ideas.’
Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves echoed Burley’s sentiments and called on Amorim to adjust his tactics to better utilize Fernandes.
‘He’s not playing his natural position, he’s playing deeper,’ Hargreaves told TNT Sports earlier this month.
‘He’s playing as a box-to-box midfielder. Bruno’s one of the best creators in the division. So you’ve got to play him in his natural position.
‘But because they play two 10s, you could argue Man Utd’s two best players last season were Amad [Diallo] and Bruno.
‘They were the two 10s, and then they went and signed two more 10s in Cunha and Mbeumo when you didn’t have a keeper or a striker.
‘I’d love to see Bruno play as a 10, maybe with Mbeumo as a No. 9. If you have Cunha and Bruno playing as two 10s plus Mbeumo, that’s good.’
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