Bruno Fernandes contributed to four goals in Man Utd’s 5-2 win against Ipswich, and Michael Carrick has Ruben Amorim to thank for it. It sounds ...
Bruno Fernandes contributed to four goals in Man Utd’s 5-2 win against Ipswich, and Michael Carrick has Ruben Amorim to thank for it.
It sounds confusing at first reading, since Ruben Amorim is probably the manager who misused Bruno Fernandes the most.
The deeper role Fernandes had under Amorim held him back immensely, as evidenced by how free he looks under Michael Carrick.
However, Carrick wouldn’t even have Fernandes were it not for Amorim standing his ground when the momentum was against him.
Photo by Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Amorim doesn’t have a shiny legacy at Old Trafford, but he is still credited with bringing about a standards reset at Carrington.
A key part of that reset was keeping model professionals in the squad, while letting others with questionable professionalism leave.
In the summer of 2025, Saudi Arabia tested this resolve by offering both United and Fernandes eye-watering amounts of money.
They wanted Fernandes, and the money made Ineos’ head turn, so they were willing to sell the Man Utd captain.
Fernandes’ stance has always been clear. He wants to stay at the club, but will leave if the club doesn’t want him anymore.
Once Ineos cleared the way for him to leave, Fernandes just needed the green light from Amorim, and he would promptly exit the club.
Amorim went against Ineos and dug his heels in, publicly calling for Fernandes to stay, and it ultimately resulted in Ineos walking back on their stance.
Fernandes stayed and called out Ineos for their blunder, praising Amorim for being honest and straight with him throughout the saga.
Therein lies Amorim’s greatest legacy at United – fighting to keep Fernandes when it was so easy for him to step aside and agree with the owners.
Amorim kept Fernandes because he could do for him what no other player in the team could, but he wasn’t actually using him correctly.
Fernandes was the plaster on a fractured team, and the way he was used wasn’t sustainable.
Carrick can be thankful for Amorim standing his ground last summer and keeping Fernandes, but Fernandes will be thankful for Carrick knowing how to get the best out of him.
As far as Amorim goes, it’s probably an indictment of his overall tenure that his greatest legacy at the club is sticking to a no-brainer decision.
Still, he deserves credit for standing up to the owners and getting his way. Otherwise, United would be wayward right now.
