Ruben Amorim has explained why he is “really frustrated” with Manchester United manager Bruno Fernandes after the Red Devils confirmed a key decision ahead of Sunday’s game between the Red Devils and Liverpool.
Fernandes has missed two of the three penalties he has taken so far this season, slamming the ball over the bar in the 1-1 draw with Fulham in August, while Caoihin Kelleher had a weak shot saved in the 3-1 defeat to Brentford in September.
Aside from a brief spell when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to take on spot-kick responsibilities, Fernandes has been United’s designated penalty taker since joining the club in January 2020, converting 39 of his 45 shots, excluding shootouts.
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Questions have been raised as to whether he will continue in the role, especially after Brian Mbeumo’s arrival from Brentford in the summer. The Cameroon international converted 11 of his 12 penalties with the Bees.
But Amorim insists he has no intention of changing his penalty takers and supports the improved results under Fernandes, admitting it is “a real nuisance” given his excellence since joining the club.
“I know it’s not easy for him (Fernandes), but I think he has 70 penalties and he misses about nine. It’s me and two, so it’s really frustrating,” the head coach said in the pre-match press conference.
“But he’s really confident. He’s been practicing penalties and trying to understand that people are watching how he scores penalties. So he’ll be ready.”
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“He’s a key player. He’s scoring a lot of goals and so far the penalties have gone to him.
“We also have more players who can take penalties if necessary. Again, we can change, but I have full confidence that Bruno will solve that.”
Amorim also named Fernandes as one of the few players in the modern game who spends his time watching many matches on TV, avoiding the myriad “distractions” that can take his attention away from the pitch.
“Everything is different now and there are so many distractions,” Amorim added. “I don’t think they watch a lot of games. You have players like Bruno, he watches his team-mates, he watches every game that’s on TV.”
“But there are some players who play really well. If they want to do something different, that’s fine.”
