Forcing Bruno Fernandes only harms MU

Bruno Fernandes has had problems playing in central midfield.

MU ended their tour in the US with a dramatic 2-2 draw against Everton on the morning of August 4. After the match, many weaknesses of MU's midfield were quickly exposed, especially the speed of ball circulation of the players in the midfield.

In the first goal, Matthijs de Ligt passed the ball to Manuel Ugarte on the edge of the 16.50m area, but the Uruguayan was slow, giving James Tarkowski a chance to steal the ball. Then Iliman Ndiaye reacted faster than Bruno Fernandes and scored against MU with a delicate finish.

Neither Ugarte nor Bruno did a good job in this phase. The lack of speed and agility in the midfield became a big problem for MU last season. Up to now, it seems that this problem has not been solved by Amorim.

Other options for United, such as Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, are not speedy players either. This explains why the "Red Devils" are considering recruiting a faster and more well-rounded "number 6" before the transfer window closes.

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Bruno is not suited to the "number 6" role.

Amorim showed high expectations for Bruno, when he was determined to pull him down to play the role of a "number 6". The appearance of two new recruits in the attack, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, forced the Portuguese star to change his playing style to adapt to the situation.

However, Bruno's biggest problem lies in his ability to control the ball and control the tempo of the game. He often tries to make decisive, lightning-fast passes to surprise his opponents. This is true for a "number 10", when forced to make quick decisions in front of the penalty area. But when forced to play the role of "number 6", Bruno cannot maintain this style of play.

Rushing decisions can lead to losing possession and putting your team in danger. Last season, Bruno and Cunha were two of the players with the highest loss rates in the Premier League.

Currently, Bruno plays as a deep-lying attacking midfielder, a hybrid between a "number 10" and a "number 6". This is the reason why MU is forced to look for a true central midfielder, with the mindset of controlling and maintaining the tempo of the game when necessary.

The idea of playing Bruno alongside a pure defensive midfielder like Ugarte or Casemiro is quite reasonable in theory, but in reality, this decision has not shown to make MU stronger.

If Bruno had left, United would have gone all out to sign a more disciplined and grounded midfielder this summer. But Bruno chose to stay. And no matter what, Amorim cannot forcefully push one of United's most creative players to the bench. In fact, despite his ups and downs, Bruno is still the "heart" of United's style of play.