Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United gestures to team-mates in training
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United gestures to team-mates in training
Bruno Fernandes has urged his Manchester United teammates to quickly adapt to the tactics of Ruben Amorim following their 1-1 draw at Ipswich. The Portuguese tactician, who recently took over at Old Trafford, has implemented a shift from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 3-4-3 system, which proved challenging for some players during the match.
Despite the initial struggle with positioning and pressing under the new setup, Fernandes emphasised the importance of being open to Amorim's strategies and the expertise he brings from his time at Sporting CP. Speaking to reporters ahead of United's clash against Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League. he said: "You always have to adapt to different ideas, different positions.
"Even sometimes playing in the same system, you have to adapt to different ideas of playing on the ball and off the ball, because the manager can ask different things. So it's not difficult for me to adapt in any position.
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"I'm really aware of what we do in training and I try to absorb everything from every position. Obviously it's not possible to get everything, but I try to have an idea of the game because - as the captain - sometimes the manager can't give the message from the bench to the pitch because of the noise or whatever.
"So you have to be able to try and solve the situation together with your team-mates, knowing, or having the knowledge of every position - the movements they do, what kind of pressure the manager wants us to do. That's a little bit of my role.
"Our focus now is on what the future can bring and how we can get as soon as possible and as quickly as possible the new ideas of the new manager."
Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting in 2020 for a deal worth £68m, admitted he had an edge over others in grasping Amorim's tactics, being a fan of the Portuguese outfit. He added: "I think it could probably be worse for the younger players.
"I know very well what Sporting players were doing. I know exactly what they were doing in their positions. Not because I was reading what the manager was doing there, but because I was watching their games. We're international players, so when you go to your national team, you probably play in a different system.
"For example, when I go to the Portugal national team, sometimes we also play with a back three and sometimes I play as a No.10. Sometimes I play a little bit deeper. Sometimes I play a little bit wider.
"You press them one way, you defend in another way and you attack in another way. You always have to move and in the national team we do that a lot, so I don't think anyone's age should be a problem, older or younger."
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