News
“Frustrated…” Rúben Amorim completely disagrees with Rio Ferdinand’s bizarre Bruno Fernandes claim vs Ipswich

Rio Ferdinand made a rather bizarre claim about Bruno Fernandes after Manchester United’s draw against Ipswich Town which Rúben Amorim completely disagrees with.
Manchester United battled to a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League, with Harry Maguire’s towering header securing all three points for Rúben Amorim on Wednesday night.
Ipswich took the lead inside the opening minutes, capitalising on a defensive mix-up between Patrick Dorgu and André Onana that left Jaden Philogene with an open goal to slot into.
United responded swiftly, as a Bruno Fernandes free-kick delivery forced Sam Morsy to turn the ball into his own net. Just four minutes later, a chaotic sequence following a corner ended with Matthijs de Ligt firing home to put the hosts 2-1 up.
The momentum shifted again just before half-time when Dorgu was sent off for a high challenge on Omari Hutchinson. Ipswich took full advantage, equalising on the stroke of the whistle to leave the match finely poised at 2-2 going into the break.
Despite being a man down for the entire second half, United struck almost immediately after the restart. Fernandes delivered another pinpoint corner, and Maguire powered home a header to restore the lead.
From there, Amorim’s side showed resilience and discipline, defending resolutely to see out an important victory.
Ferdinand’s bizarre claim about Fernandes
Against Everton, Fernandes started in a more advanced position but dropped deeper into midfield alongside Manuel Ugarte in the second half and was pivotal to the side’s comeback.
Following the player’s excellent display last weekend, Amorim chose to continue Fernandes in that role alongside Ugarte once again, and he picked up his second Player of the Match award in a row after creating all three of United’s goals from dead-ball situations.
However, speaking with TNT Sports following the result, Ferdinand made a bizarre claim that he feels Amorim is “frustrated” that Fernandes has to play deeper, and that the head coach would rather see him start further forward.
“I’m sure Rúben Amorim is frustrated in the fact that he has to play Bruno so deep in this team because he’s so vital in terms of creativity,” Ferdinand stated.
“You want to get him closer to the opposition goal. He’s playing very much deep and still impacting the game, but you want to get people back to be able to fill that role in the middle of the pitch to push him further forward, I’m sure.”
Amorim completely disagrees with Ferdinand
Despite the former United centre-back’s words, Amorim has already explained that he completely disagrees with this viewpoint.
Read More: “Not their game…” Rio Ferdinand calls out four Manchester United stars holding Rúben Amorim back
Aside from starting Fernandes deeper on multiple occasions during his opening three months at the club, Amorim addressed the idea directly during the early weeks of his tenure, explaining he feels Fernandes is at his best when dictating play from the middle of the park.
“You can feel that he is the most experienced player,” Amorim stated after a 3-2 Europa League win over Bodo/Glimt in November. “The tempo, sometimes we start the play and Bruno is the right man to start the tempo of the play.
Further, Amorim added: “I think he is a midfielder.” No matter what Ferdinand claims, it is clear that the United head coach wants to see Fernandes influence games from one of the two midfield positions rather than as a part of the attacking three.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.
-
Transfers3 days ago
Manchester United “advancing” on double free agent swoop, Rúben Amorim needs both players
-
News2 days ago
Ruben Amorim’s stance on Mason Mount transfer as Inter Milan interested in surprise deal
-
Opinions3 days ago
Rúben Amorim must start Manchester United duo vs Ipswich despite Alan Shearer’s “hopeless” claim
-
Opinions2 days ago
Manchester United could see unexpected change vs Ipswich as Rúben Amorim “losing patience” with star