As the squad prepares for a high-stakes visit to Manchester United, head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed club captain Bruno Fernandes remains Manchester United’s first-choice penalty taker despite missing the target twice recently.
The announcement was made just before the Premier League match at Anfield, and the decision shows Amorim’s confidence in Fernandes despite the increased attention.
The Portuguese midfielder’s conversion rate is at a historically high level, but his struggles from 12 yards early in the season have raised questions about whether United should re-evaluate the role.
Fernandes’ recent penalty record became a topic of conversation. His missed spot-kicks against Fulham and Brentford in the current campaign have raised eyebrows across the Premier League and United’s fan base.
Bruno Fernandes has had a great run at Manchester United
However, the broader data remains in his favor, with his 39 goals in 45 attempts in the Premier League making him the player with the most penalties in the club’s history.
Despite the steep decline, Amorim insisted he would retain his position as captain.
“Yes, he is the main character.” As reported by GOAL, Amorim said:
“He’s scoring a lot of goals… We have other options, we have more players who can score penalties if he needs to. If we need to, we can change. But I have full confidence that Bruno will solve it.”
He cited Fernandes’ number of attempts and pointed out: “I think he has 70 penalties… He missed like nine and two of them were with me. So it’s really frustrating!”
Amorim has complete trust in Fernandes.
He emphasized Fernandes. “He’s been training to (take) penalties…trying to understand that people are looking at the way he takes penalties.”
By publicly reaffirming Fernandes, Amorim aims to draw a line under recent contradictory circumstances, rally the squad and demonstrate faith in their leader.
With Manchester United’s captain fully backed ahead of the game against Anfield, all eyes will remain on Fernandes as to when United will be awarded a penalty, and if so.
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