Wayne Rooney believes that Bruno Fernandes is being limited within his new role at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United appointed Ruben Amorim as head coach earlier this season and the Portuguese boss immediately changed the system at Old Trafford.
He implemented his 3-4-3 shape which has caused so much controversy in the media since his arrival. Some players still haven’t adapted to the way of play.
Bruno Fernandes was one of the first players to look comfortable in the new role that Amorim put him in. The club captain has played a lot of his football in a two-man midfield rather than in the front three.
This was a surprise to many United fans but the 30-year-old has looked really comfortable in that new position, and is arguably playing the best football of his United career.
Rooney questions Amorim’s use of Fernandes
Despite the solid form of Fernandes for a struggling United side, club legend Wayne Rooney still has major question-marks over the role of the midfielder in Amorim’s system.
Rooney believes that it is wrong to see Fernandes playing deeper while lesser quality players are in the attacking areas of the pitch. The wingbacks at United are often defensive-minded players like Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui.
“The game now is very much positional. For instance, at United now, the creative players are coming back and the wingbacks are going higher,” Rooney said on The Overlap podcast.
“The attacking players are lower than the defensive players. If you have good attacking players, you want them [higher up the pitch].
“Like I think Bruno has done really well in midfield, but I want to see Bruno higher, in and around the penalty area where he can shoot and create.
“You’re ending up with so many defenders up the pitch and your midfield players who are good attacking players filling in at fullback spots and stuff. In some ways it’s OK if you’ve got the personnel, but every team is doing it now and I think it’s a little bit too much.”
Fernandes suits the role but United need better forwards
Ironically, earlier on in the podcast Rooney explained how he didn’t like playing upfront on his own as he preferred being able to drop deeper and impact the game. That is exactly why Fernandes has moved deeper as well.
The problem is that those players he’s dropped deep for aren’t as good as him in the final third. Those improvements certainly need to be made.
However, in terms of Fernandes personally, this actually feels like a position that gets the best out of him if those attacking options are improved in the summer.
He is still able to impact the attacking play – as shown by 19 goals and 18 assists this term – but the other parts of his game, such as progression, ball-winning and passing range, all suit the position he’s playing in currently.
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Like Rooney mentioned, it does seem wrong that he’s playing deeper while less-talented attacking players are in the final third, but that does not mean that it isn’t the right position for Fernandes.
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