Manchester United picked up a point on Sunday afternoon, drawing 1-1 against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
Arsenal were hoping to put pressure on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table as they arrived at Old Trafford.
Manchester United haven’t been in great form under Ruben Amorim and Sunday appeared to be a real test.
United stepped up to the occasion and took the lead with Bruno Fernandes rattling a free kick beyond David Raya.
Declan Rice pulled Arsenal level after the break but United could have won it late on as Raya miraculously denied Bruno.
United were very dangerous on the break and may feel a little disappointed to have only come away with one point rather than three.
Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes
As is often the case, Bruno stepped up when United needed him.
The free kick was a moment of inch-perfect quality which few players in the United squad could replicate.
Rio Ferdinand loved Bruno’s free kick and the United captain was so unlucky not to add to his tally in the second half.
Bruno was defended by Amorim after strong criticism from Roy Keane, with the Portugal star once again showing his quality on Sunday.
Amorim has now spoken to the media and, as seen on Beanyman Sports, he sent a message to Ineos.
Amorim noted that he wants United to sign more players like Bruno moving forward.
The United boss feels that it’s ‘clear’ that United need more players with his talent, character and availability moving forward.
Amorim will hope that Ineos invest in the right players this summer with Bruno undoubtedly one of United’s rare transfer success stories in recent memory.
“I think he steps up all the time,” said Amorim.
“Sometimes, he can show some frustration in some moments, that can hurt him more than anybody – and I understand that. He wants to win.
“He’s always available, always there to play in different positions and when we need sometimes a goal, a free kick, an assist, he’s always there, so I think he’s a very good example.
“He does some mistakes, that’s normal, but he’s a very good example for the other players.
“I think any coach, when he wants to bring players, he expects the best, but sometimes, they have to adapt and sometimes you have luck with the character of a player or not, even with all the investigation that all the coaches do before signing players.
“What I can say is that we need more Brunos – that is clear. Not just the quality, the character, not some mistakes, but the character that he has, the availability in this league is so important and he is so decisive with the ball and without the ball,” he added.
Finding another Bruno Fernandes won’t be easy
United signed Bruno from Sporting back in 2020 with the playmaker becoming an almost instant hit at Old Trafford.
Now United captain, it’s easy to see why Amorim would want more players just like Bruno – but they don’t come easily.
Bruno was playing outside of a top-five league when he joined United but has taken on the weight of expectation well.
Finding players of that ilk is a difficult task and identifying that magic combination of talent, character and availability is the dream for any manager.
United haven’t really managed to find that blend since Bruno’s arrival but Amorim will be hopeful ahead of the summer transfer window.