Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes says it is the “right time” for incoming manager Ruben Amorim to bring a new “energy” to the club.
Former Sporting CP manager Amorim began work at Carrington on Monday and will take charge of his first United game against Ipswich on November 24, when he will become their sixth permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
The Portuguese replaces Erik ten Hag, who was sacked after a 2-1 defeat to West Ham left them with just four wins from their first 14 games of the season.
Interim Ruud van Nistelrooy has since steadied the ship with three wins and a draw and Fernandes believes the timing is right for Amorim to come in and change the club’s fortunes.
“This is the right moment for him to come, bring his energy, his qualities and his knowledge of football because he did something very special at Sporting,” he told MUTV.
“I watched almost all of the Sporting’s games. [Amorim] is someone who brought the excitement back to the club. He brought a lot of good things to the club and hopefully, he can do the same here because sometimes a person can change the energy of a space if it’s the right moment.
“They were about 20 years without winning the league, he got them back to winning the league and he did it twice in four years with a really [young] team in a moment of change. Hopefully, it can be a successful moment for us.”
🔴🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes on Rúben Amorim: “Obviously for me, what stands out is the connection he has with the players”.
“Us players with the most experience, we have to help him to get that and get the best out of every player at this club”. pic.twitter.com/LGLebM1K4l
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 13, 2024
Amorim, 39, is a highly-rated coach after winning two league titles during his four years in charge, the first of which ending a 19-year drought in 2020-21.
And Fernandes, who is also a former Sporting player, is excited at what he has seen from his compatriot as his previous club.
“He’s done really good things tactically, from what I’ve seen. Obviously, he can’t transform what he’s done in sporting to here.
“We have different players and different ways of playing. But I’m sure the idea of football he has, independent of the way he wants to play, will bring us success.”
Connection with players
United have seemingly struggled to implement a winning mentality within their culture ever since Ferguson left having failed to win the Premier League title during that time.
Fernandes cited the strong relationship he had with his former players at Sporting as reason to get excited about what he can bring to Old Trafford.
“For me what stands out for me is the connection he has with players,” he added.
“When the manager is going from your club in the middle of the season with all the things they have still to win, you see the way they say goodbye to him, the way they make him feel part of the team and the way they treat him, it shows he’s a great character and he is someone that gives his all to the players.
“I have seen many moments where players were struggling and he goes to the press conference to defend his players to give them the best opportunity to shine.
“He had a really young team so he needed to do that, hopefully, he can do the same with us.”