Bruno Fernandes, the captain of Manchester United, has undergone significant changes since he explicitly apologised to Erik ten Hag in the aftermath of his dismissal and accepted his share of the responsibility.
He has scored four goals, assisted on two others, and had a claim on another that was deemed an own goal in the 3-0 victory over Leicester at Old Trafford on Sunday.
It is an exceptional performance for four games and stands in stark contrast to the zero goals and four assists, two of which were against League One Barnsley, in the 12 games during which Ten Hag was in command of this campaign.
Fernandes expressed his regret regarding Ten Hag’s departure by asserting that “people will say we wanted him to be sacked.”
Fernandes stated that such a claim would be untrue. Nevertheless, Fernandes’ return to form will now be advantageous to another individual, as football is transient.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the interim manager of United, informed BBC Sport that “he is back.” “He is generating assists and goals.” “That Bruno is the one who is most beneficial to the team.”
On the day that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe presented Fernandes with a framed photograph before the game to commemorate his 250th United appearance, the 30-year-old’s most recent accomplishments have resulted in 83 goals and 72 assists for the club in all competitions.
Only Liverpool’s Mo Salah has been involved in more goals since Fernandes made his United debut in February 2020, with 198.
In 170 appearances for United in the Premier League, Fernandes has been directly involved in the scoring of 100 goals. That is only one more than Cristiano Ronaldo achieved upon his entrance at Old Trafford.
Although he is not without his detractors, Fernandes’ former teammate Phil Jones referred to him as “a leader” on the BBC’s Match of the Day 2 a week ago. Danny Murphy, a former midfielder for Liverpool and England, referred to Fernandes as “United’s best creative spark” during the same program.
And that could prove to be the most significant challenge that Ruben Amorim encounters upon his arrival at Carrington this week to commence his new role as head coach.
Amorim’s preferred formation includes a striker, two inside attackers, two midfielders, two wing backs, and three at the back.
It is adaptable in the sense that the wing backs can be more or less adventurous, as was the case last week against Manchester City when Maximiliano Araujo and Geovany Quenda effectively became part of a back five.
It appears unlikely that Amorim will alter his preferred formation, as he has achieved two titles in four years and was appointed to the United position as a result.
Therefore, what is Fernandes’ role?
The position of Fernandes will be the subject of debate due to the fact that the number 10 role he has previously operated in for United does not exist in Amorim’s system, and the midfielder’s manner of play is not that of an inside forward.
Therefore, does Amorim modify his formation, employ Fernandes as a false nine or an orthodox midfielder, or allow him to operate as an inside forward?
The catastrophic option would be to exclude him, which could potentially convey a clear message to the dressing room that no one is secure. However, based solely on the statistics, it would be either exceptionally daring or foolish.
