Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has revealed that injured captain Bruno Fernandes is eager to make a speedy recovery and joked that he might be vying for his job, as his leadership continues even while he is sidelined.
The 31-year-old found himself in the unusual position of watching the hard-fought 1-0 victory against Newcastle from the stands at Old Trafford after suffering a soft tissue injury.
Fernandes initially continued playing after sustaining the injury during a match at Aston Villa eight days ago but was eventually substituted at half-time.
“Bruno was already saying he needs to train, but we don’t know,” Amorim remarked with a chuckle, ahead of Tuesday’s match against struggling Wolves.
“There’s no way he’ll be playing against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that.”
Although Fernandes won’t be available for United’s final match of what has been a challenging 2025, his leadership is clearly still making an impact.
“He can’t just go silent when he’s not playing,” Amorim said. “He’s always vocal, which is why he’s the captain.”
“While he might have his moments of frustration, he does a lot of positive things. Whenever he’s recovering from a previous game, he’s the one there to watch the training sessions. There’s much he does behind the scenes that you may not see. He’s a fantastic leader.”
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When asked if this commitment continued during his injury, Amorim replied, “Absolutely. He’s always there watching training, even after his treatments.”
“I’m not sure if he’s looking to take my job, but he is a leader—a true leader.”
The absence of Mason Mount, who is being evaluated after leaving the pitch at half-time against Newcastle, may further complicate matters for United against Wolves.
Other players, including Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt are also currently unavailable, and Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui are participating in the Africa Cup of Nations.
The lack of available players forced Amorim to switch from a five-man defense to a four-man setup against Newcastle, a decision he previously suggested would even challenge the Pope to change.
The 40-year-old admitted he was initially hesitant to alter his preferred strategy since taking over last November, wanting to establish his tactics and identity, but acknowledged the current circumstances have necessitated a change.
“We don’t have many players, so we have to adapt. The team understands why we’re changing strategies,” Amorim noted.
“It’s not because of pressure from the media or the fans; it’s because we understand the best approach to take. The principles of play remain the same.”
“Adaptations can help us improve. Once we get players back, we won’t necessarily stick with three at the back. We’ll enhance our performance. That’s what I’ve been expressing.”
“Changing our system frequently isn’t an option because that sends a message that I’m yielding to external pressures, which I believe is detrimental for a manager. If we play well in our current system, the right time to adapt is when it truly benefits our chances to win the next match, and that’s exactly what we did.”