Amorim praises Bruno Fernandes after Manchester United beat West Ham 2-1

Overview

• Manchester United defeated West Ham United 2-1 in their pre-season friendly
• Bruno Fernandes scored a brace
• Ruben Amorim heaps praise on Fernandes  

Manchester United registered a 2-1 win over West Ham United in their pre-season friendly at MetLife Stadium, thanks to a brace from their star midfielder, Bruno Fernandes. In June, rumours circulated that Fernandes could leave the club due to a huge offer from the Saudi side, Al Hilal. But ultimately, the Portuguese midfielder decided to stay, and now, after this win over the Hammers, United head coach Ruben Amorim said that Fernandes’ decision to stay was crucial for the club, as quoted by ESPN.

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"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."

Manchester United to play Bournemouth in their next pre-season friendly 

He also opened up on using Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte against the Hammers to allow Fernandes to take up the number 10 role alongside their 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.”

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"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," he concluded.

Manchester United’s next pre-season friendly is against another Premier League side, Bournemouth, on 31 July.