Reuters
July 27 (Reuters)
Manchester United has faced an extremely difficult transition following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. The club was once the envy of the soccer world; their treble-winning season in 1999 was unheard of and catapulted the club and its manager into legendary status. For a while, if you said the word Manchester, the next word out of anyone’s mouth was United. Manchester City has become the English powerhouse in soccer, but United is doing its best to recover from a string of poor seasons. The iconic British club is currently busy with its pre-season tour in the United States.
Ruben Amorim full of praise for his captain, Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim heaped praise on captain Bruno Fernandes after the midfielder scored twice in a 2-1 pre-season win over fellow Premier League club West Ham United at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday. Fernandes, who scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season and won the club’s Player of the Year award, was linked with a move to Saudi Pro-League club Al Hilal earlier this year.
However, the 30-year-old said last month that he had considered the move but ultimately turned it down to keep playing at the highest level. Asked about Fernandes’ importance to the team, Amorim told reporters after the win: “It was so clear last season, you can see it with the goals and assists. But it’s not just that.
“I think now he has more players, I feel, to help him to lead the group, and that is a good thing. He is our leader and really important, not just on the field but off the field. He leads by example. Sometimes, the problem is he gets frustrated and loses a little bit of focus of his job. Sometimes, he wants to help the teammates so much, it is not the best thing to do. They have to do their job, and Bruno has, for example, to wait for the ball.”- Ruben Amorim
Manchester United bolsters its squad with new signings Cuhna and Mbeumbo
United have signed Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo so far in the transfer window, with Amorim saying the signings would take some of the pressure off Fernandes in attack. “Last year, I felt sometimes I pushed him back to have more possession in the build-up, and we miss Bruno near the box,” Amorim added.
“With different characteristics from Bryan (Mbeumo) and Matheus Cunha – and I really like Kobbie Mainoo’s game – he (Fernandes) will have more help this season.” – Ruben Amorim
As the FIFA Club World Cup comes to an end, Manchester United must be feeling like a pop star whose 15 minutes of fame have come to an end. The club has fallen on hard times since the exit of the most successful manager in history. Chelsea won the Club World Cup, much to the dismay of United fans around the globe, but United’s problems come as no surprise to some. The club did not prepare the team and fans for the exit of Sir Alex and the transition that followed.
Will Ruben Amorim finally be able to reinvigorate Manchester United
The managers who have come to United since Ferguson’s departure have found it difficult to produce the same type of results that the iconic Scotsman found in Manchester. David Moyes was the “chosen one”, but ultimately could not handle the pressure of the managerial hot seat that Ferguson left behind. Since then, the club has struggled to please the legions of fans worldwide. Can Amorim bring in fresh talent to reinvigorate the team and finally produce some silverware for the United faithful?
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
