We need more Brunos - Fernandes steps up all the time for Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes scored his 12th goal of the season against Arsenal

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim feels the club would not be in their current mess if they had more players like Bruno Fernandes.

The United captain led from the front in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted the Portuguese was "too clever for us and the referee" for the way he manipulated the positioning of his first-half free-kick to give him a better chance to put United in front.

Former United skipper Roy Keane might not be a fan given the manner in which the Irishman spoke of Fernandes on The Overlap podcast last week.

But Amorim wishes he had a few more like him.

"We need more Brunos, that is clear," he said.

"Its not just the quality and the character. He makes some mistakes but he is so decisive with and without the ball.

"He steps up all the time. He can show some frustration in some moments that can hurt him more than everyone. I understand that. He wants to win.

"But he is always available, can play in different positions and when we need a goal and an assist he is always there."

Fernandes is now Uniteds top Premier League goalscorer this season with seven. His 12 in all competitions also puts him at the head of Uniteds scoring charts.

But it doesnt end there.

In a United side that is 14th in the table, Fernandes has 14 goal involvements in the league. Unsurprisingly, that is more than anyone else.

But only Amad has more than Marcus Rashfords five, which underlines how important the 30-year-old has been in keeping United away from getting in real trouble at the bottom of the table.

Since he made his United debut in February 2020, only Liverpools Mohamed Salah (177) and Tottenhams Son Heung-min (124) have been involved in more goals than Fernandes (109).

It is clear Amorim needs Fernandes in the short and medium term as he looks to improve results, while at the same time making United a more attractive team to watch.

The home side had 31.8% possession against Arsenal, continuing a theme that has continued since Jose Mourinhos time at the club where their best results are achieved when they play on the counter-attack.

On a day when United fans protested in huge numbers against the clubs ownership, Amorim is desperate to change that.

"When you coach Manchester United, you cannot play too much like that," he told Sky Sports. "You have to try to win the game.

"This club will never die. That is clear. This is a big business and maybe all the fans in this league sometimes feel it us harder to go to the games and pay for tickets.

"We want to give them a lot of effort. In the future, we will not play like that."

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