Amorim heaps praise on Bruno Fernandes and his leadership despite the latter recovering from a hamstring injury.
Amorim heaps praise on Bruno Fernandes for being a leader even when injured.
After Bruno Fernandes watched training sessions and continued to be a loud leader despite being injured, Ruben Amorim suggested that Fernandes might desire his position as head coach of Manchester United.
After suffering a hamstring injury during United’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa on December 21, Fernandes can miss up to three more weeks of action. When asked if the 31-year-old still has an impact on the team, Amorim responded with a light-hearted comment about his own position.
“He’s the guy that is watching training even after treatment. He’s going there,” the Portuguese said of his compatriot. “I don’t know if he wants my job or not, but he’s a leader. He cannot be that guy that when he is not playing, he’s not talking and speaking. He’s always speaking. That’s why he’s the captain. He has bad things sometimes, the way he moves his arms [gestures, on-field], but has a lot of good things too. So there are a lot of things that you don’t see but that he does. He’s a great leader all the time.”
Fernandes is already pushing to start working again. “Bruno was already saying that he needs to train, but we don’t know,” Amorim said. “No chance he is going to play against Wolves, no chance.”
Mason Mount was substituted at halftime of Boxing Day’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford, so Amorim is uncertain if he will be available.
“I don’t know how Mase is going to be for that game,” said Amorim. “Kobbie Mainoo is also not going to be ready, Bruno, Matt [De Ligt] and Harry [Maguire] are not going to be ready. So I think we are not going to have more players.”
Eight players will be unavailable if Mount is ruled out because Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo are at the Africa Cup of Nations. Amorim was questioned if any of the injured would be able to play on Sunday when United travels to Leeds.
“Kobbie Mainoo is going to start training on the pitch also, so we will see. Matthijs is struggling a little bit. Harry’s the same, so I don’t know,” he said.