Football writer Henry Winter has said that Bruno Fernandes is a number 10, not a number eight, calling for Ruben Amorim to play his captain further forward.
Amorim has endured a tough reign as Manchester United manager to date, inheriting a poor side and failing to turn their fortunes around last season. The Portuguese has, now, finally had a pre-season and a summer as manager, overseeing a complete revamp of the Red Devils' attack.
With Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha signed to be Amorim's front three, their arrivals have seen Fernandes drop further back in Man United's system. Since joining the club in 2020, Fernandes has, without doubt, been their most consistent performer. Winter, though, has spoken out about Amorim's usage of Fernandes and how he is not getting the best out of the Portugal international.
'It's Not His Strength Or His Mind'
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes vs Fulham
Premier League - Fulham v Manchester United - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - August 24, 2025 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes reacts after missing a penalty kick REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
On paper, Fernandes being dropped deeper on the pitch makes sense, as it allows him to maintain his presence in the team whilst also allowing Man United's new signings to bed into their natural positions. In practice, however, the story has hardly been that simple.
As noted by Winter, Fernandes "failed to track his runner" in the build-up to Phil Foden's opening goal in the first Manchester derby of the 2025/26 season. This was not a first for the 31-year-old, who is not a naturally defensive player.
Fernandes' disposition to playing in the attack often means that the midfielder struggles to do what is required of him on the defensive side of the ball. In having to hold a deeper position, Fernandes is not able to impact the game as efficiently as he has done so many times in the past for the Red Devils.
Prior to recent years, Fernandes had spent his entire senior career as a number 10, operating in the final third of the pitch and not having an overwhelming amount of defensive responsibility. His poor adaptation to a deeper role is, in that case, understandable, and responsibility surely falls on Amorim to make a change in order to get more out of his skipper.