Ruben Amorim is right: Man Utd desperately 'need more Brunos' - unrelenting Fernandes deserves legendary status for carrying the club through crisis period

Fernandes' latest inspirational performance came against Arsenal, as United battled to a 1-1 draw on an emotionally charged afternoon at Old Trafford. Thousands of fans took part in an organised protest against the Glazer ownership regime before the game, with minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe also feeling the wrath of the United faithful after his controversial cost-cutting measures, and it seemed to inject the players with an extra dose of motivation.

United had to hold on in a one-sided first half as Arsenal dominated possession, but in the second minute of stoppage time, Alejandro Garnacho won a free-kick 25 yards from goal, and Fernandes stepped up. Referee Anthony Taylor sent Arsenal's wall back 11.2 yards instead of the customary 10 as David Raya bizarrely left the whole left side of his net gaping, and Fernandes capitalised ruthlessly with a brilliant whipped effort that was goal-bound the moment it left his boot.

Even Mikel Arteta praised Fernandes for the "street smart" move after the game, and the Arsenal boss must have been relieved he didn't do more damage in the second half. Despite playing in a deep-lying role alongside Casemiro in the absence of Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, Fernandes drove United forward at every opportunity and came agonisingly close to stealing all three points right at the death, only for Raya to redeem himself with an outstanding save.

Coincidentally, Keane was back in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday, but he refused to perform a full U-turn on his criticism of Fernandes, jokingly calling him "Captain Fantastic" before stating: "I’ve never doubted Fernandes’ quality, but thought he could do more for the team." Keane is starting to sound like an out-of-touch cartoon villain; no player is doing more for United than Fernandes, which has been the case for some time now.

Thankfully, Ruben Amorim does recognise just how important Fernandes is. “What I can say is we need more Brunos, that is clear,” the United head coach said. “Not just the quality and the character, but in this league the availability is so important. He makes some mistakes but he is so decisive with and without the ball. He steps up all the time.

"Sometimes he can show some frustration in some moments that can hurt him more than anyone, but he is always available, he can always play in different positions and when we need a goal and an assist, he is always there. He is a very good example for the other players.”

Fernandes gets a bad rap because he's not afraid to call out his team-mates for mistakes or throw his arms up in the air in frustration when a promising attack breaks down. The Portugal international is a bit of hypocrite in that regard because a lot of the time he is the one who gives the ball away cheaply by picking the riskier passes over the simple ones.

But everything good about United stems from Fernandes. He's the only one in the squad who is not afraid to take games by the scruff of the neck, and he boasts the technical quality to match his exceptional work rate.

Amorim is right to single out Fernandes as the model of what a United player should be. How many times has he come to their rescue, even just this season alone? Fernandes sparked comebacks against Everton and Manchester City, scored a vital winner against Rangers in the Europa League, and masterminded Arsenal's downfall in the third round of the FA Cup. He may not be a perfect captain, but Fernandes is pretty much the only reason that United are still keeping their heads above water.

Even if you think Fernandes fails the eye test too often, there is no arguing with his numbers. The £47 million ($61m) fee United paid Sporting CP for Fernandes in January 2020 can't be viewed as anything other than a bargain given his haul of 91 goals and 79 assists in 275 appearances for United.

Fernandes became only the third Premier League player to reach 25 goal involvements across all competitions in each of the last three seasons alongside Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland after his stunning free-kick against Arsenal, which is a remarkable feat considering how poor United have been in comparison to Liverpool and Manchester City. Indeed, United would be 10 points worse off in the Premier League without Fernandes, and hovering just above the drop zone.

The 30-year-old is the Red Devils' top scorer this term with 12 goals, three more than injured winger Amad Diallo and seven ahead of third-placed Marcus Rashford, who joined Aston Villa in January. With Rasmus Hojlund enduring a 20-game scoring drought and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee struggling for consistency, Amorim has had to rely way too much on Fernandes, but the all-action midfielder has not shirked from the extra responsibility.

United may have drawn their last three games, but there have been signs of improvement, and the season is not totally unsalvageable yet. The Europa League is still up for grabs, which comes with the extra reward of Champions League qualification, and United may just be able to scrape their way to the trophy if Fernandes continues to perform at such a high level.

Fernandes has only tasted FA Cup and League Cup success with United so far, which must be a tough pill to swallow. He was also strongly linked with City before he left Sporting, and would now have a lot more silverware in his personal cabinet had he ended up at the Etihad Stadium instead of Old Trafford.

United's malaise as a collective has skewed the public perception of Fernandes. He unfairly gets tarred with the same brush as the misfits and underperformers, with even ex-Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp jumping on the bandwagon last week.

"You’d look at the United of Fergie’s day and see superstars everywhere," Redknapp wrote in his column for The Sun. "Amorim would love just one. Bruno Fernandes is the closest and even then no more than a place in the squad. He wouldn’t have a prayer of making the team. Who would you drop? [Ryan] Giggs, [Paul] Scholes, [David] Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, even Nicky Butt or Darren Fletcher? Not a chance. If Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struggled to get a game, Fernandes wouldn’t get beyond putting the cones down and handing out bibs."

It would have been difficult for Fernandes to be a nailed-on starter under Ferguson, that's true enough, but he possesses three key traits that the Scottish taskmaster always valued highly: flair, aggression, and a relentless will to win. With a slight formation tweak, Fernandes could easily have slotted into the midfield just ahead of Keane and Scholes, or formed part of the frontline as he has done frequently since Amorim's appointment.

Fernandes would have been a superstar in that United team. The only reason he's not one right now is because he doesn't have the luxury of working with other world-class players.

Fernandes could have walked away from United last summer. Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich were all reportedly keen on the playmaker, along with several clubs in Saudi Arabia, but he resisted the temptation, and signed a contract extension through to 2027 with the option of an extra year.

"I had concrete offers," Fernandes told ESPN when asked to explain that decision. "But the club showed that it needed me, that it was at a time of change and that they wanted to do things differently." According to The Athletic, the former Udinese star was given clarity on whether INEOS matched his ambition to "fight for major trophies in the years ahead", and he was happy to continue when assured he would be central to the project.

After United's awful start to the 2024-25 campaign, which cost Erik ten Hag his job, Fernandes may have been left harbouring some regrets. But it appears he is now fully behind Amorim's vision for the future, having seen his charismatic compatriot attempt to give the team a proper identity right from day one by hammering home the merits of his preferred 3-4-3 system.

"What we do really understand as players at the moment is that he really believes in this," Fernandes told Sky Sports in January. "So there is no way that it makes you not believe it. So everything he says to you, everything he tries to pass to you - him and his staff - he does it in a way that we really believe in what we are doing. We have to bring this back in togetherness with the fans, with the patience that we need to have as a team to believe in the process. We need the fans to have the same patience, to believe in the players because we can deliver."

Ten Hag didn't inspire confidence like Amorim does. A strong relationship between captain and coach is a crucial starting point, and United have that now.

Ratcliffe and INEOS' aim of winning the Premier League by 2028 seems like nothing more than a pipe dream, but as long as Fernandes is around, there is hope, even if United fall short in the Europa League this season. "We have bigger things to think about. I know it’s strange to say that, but the thing we’re trying to build here is more important than winning a cup in this moment," Amorim said before the first leg of United's last-16 tie against Real Sociedad. "The problems continue here even with the Champions League."

Amorim's remarks raised eyebrows, but as ever, his honesty was refreshing. United won't enjoy any kind of resurgence in 2025-26 unless the coach is given a sizeable war chest in the summer transfer window. He needs the freedom to bring in a host of new players in the Fernandes mould; classy operators that fit his philosophy and are ready to give blood, sweat and tears. It's safe to assume that most of the "imposters" Keane is so angry at will be shipped out to make room, and then the healing can begin.

Perhaps this time next year, Fernandes will be getting the credit he is long overdue. There is already a strong case for him to be mentioned in the same breath as United's all-time greats, but the best could be yet to come.