Ruben Amorim makes defiant Bruno Fernandes vow ahead of crunch Chelsea clash

Ruben Amorim has vowed to keep playing Man Utd skipper Bruno Fernandes in a deeper midfield role, rather than his favoured attacking position further up the pitch

Ruben Amorim has vowed to continue playing Bruno Fernandes in a midfield role – despite it not playing to the strengths of the Manchester United skipper.

Amorim has deployed Fernandes as a deeper lying midfielder, despite the 31-year-old playmaker having produced his best form for United in a more advanced and attacking role.

But Amorim’s refusal to change his 3-4-3 system, allied to the summer arrivals of forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, means Fernandes has been forced into a role for which he is ill-suited.

READ MORE: Premier League fixture changes for November as Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool movedREAD MORE: Ruben Amorim’s transfer reality after Marcus Rashford masterclass – ‘What have I done?’

Amorim will stick with Fernandes in the deeper role for Saturday’s visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford, claiming playing him there gives United more control of possession during games.

“Of course, Bruno wants all the freedom in the world,” said Amorim. “But even when he plays in a No.10 role, he’s getting the ball back.

“Maybe he’s not having the same freedom to get inside the box, but he’s getting there and he’s near the box and he can do his shots.

“I think it’s a position that I want Bruno more deep, to have more possession, to try to control the game more – and we’re doing that.

“Sometimes we miss a little bit Bruno in front, maybe because Matheus Cunha was not there. But if Cunha is there, we have one extra player.

“So I’m trying just to balance the team and trying to imagine the game, and we’ll try to put the best starting line-up there.

“But I see Bruno well. He’s frustrated because he’s not winning games. Sometimes he likes to go further forward, but he has a job to do.

“And the important thing is not Bruno playing well. It’s the team playing well and winning football games – and he can play in different positions.”

United, who finished 15th last season, have just four points from as many games this season to stand 14th in the table, and have already been dumped out of the EFL Cup by League Two Grimsby.

Asked why United have continued to struggle this season, despite a summer spend of £236million and a full pre-season under him, Amorim said: ”I think it’s everything. It’s belief. It’s confidence. It’s aggression. It’s everything. “And sometimes, what we call luck is the way you can play the game with more belief. Liverpool are winning all the games. It’s something about the teams that are winning that something is going to happen, to have that feeling.

“Sometimes, with us, I feel the opposite. We’re playing well, but something is going to go wrong in some moments.

“So we need to change that, but it’s just with wins. But, if you look at the goals against City, Fulham, all these moments, we scored against Burnley.

“We are good in the game and then we take a draw [or lose]. All these moments, I think we can do better. It’s our fault. So we work on that during the week to improve for the next game.”

Altay Bayindir started in goal for United’s 3-0 derby defeat at Manchester City last weekend, ahead of new signing Senne Lammens. But Amorim has warned both goalkeepers they will have to fight it out for the No.1 spot this season.

“Nobody has a place that is his place,” said Amorim. “Everyone has to fight. Everyone is fighting for a place. I’m just trying to win games, trying to see what the best option is to win the next game.

“At the end of the season, maybe it’s a different team on the pitch. We’re just trying to win games, trying to get the best connections to play better and, in the end, to win points.

“The opponents don’t have the same amount of opportunities as last season. But in the end, if you don’t win, it doesn’t matter. So I think it’s something mental and we need to change.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.