Ruben Amorim has admitted it was vital Bruno Fernandes stayed at Manchester United this summer after the midfielder again proved his value with both goals in a 2-1 preseason win over West Ham.
Fernandes scored a penalty and an exquisite second from outside the box as United kicked off their tour of the U.S. with a victory at MetLife Stadium.
The 30-year-old could have left Old Trafford in June after taking time to consider a mega money offer from Saudi side Al Hilal.
He decided to stay and Amorim says it was important for United that he did.
“It was so clear last season,” said Amorim. “You can see it in the assists, the goals. Not just that.
“I think now he has more players. I felt that on the tour. I felt that now there are more players to help them to lead the group. That is a good thing. But he’s our leader, so it’s really important. Not just on the field, but also off the field.”
Fernandes was often used as a deep-lying midfielder in Amorim’s 3-4-3 system last season.
The United coach picked Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte against West Ham, allowing Fernandes to take up one of the No. 10 roles alongside new signing Matheus Cunha.
“It’s impossible to play all the positions,” said Amorim
“Last year I felt that sometimes I pushed him back to have more possession in the build-up and then we missed Bruno near the box.
“He lives by example. He works really hard. Always available. Sometimes he plays with pain. The problem is sometimes he gets frustrated and sometimes he loses a little bit the focus of his job.
“Sometimes he wants to help so much his teammates that sometimes it’s not the best thing to do. Bruno has to wait for the ball in different situations. This kind of thing is a leader, but he needs help. And he’s going to have help.”
