Football moves quickly and it moves even quicker at Manchester United, where you’re only as good (or bad) as your last result.
Just ask Ruben Amorim, who according to some, should have already abandoned his system after a draw in his first game as Man Utd manager!
The Erik ten Hag tenure has already been forgotten when that was the time when many problems crept up, some of which have transferred to Amorim.
Bruno Fernandes saw the media for the first time since Ten Hag was sacked and as the captain, was asked about his thoughts on the same.
Bruno Fernandes on Erik ten Hag’s sacking
Fernandes has never been one to “down tools” for any manager as he’s generally the standard bearer for professionalism at Old Trafford.
However, Fernandes’ form immediately picked up massively after the departure of the Dutchman which naturally raised eyebrows about what was happening under Ten Hag.
For his part, Fernandes has always been keen to share the responsibility for failure instead of dumping it all on the manager. When asked about Ten Hag’s sacking, he had a frank admission.
He said: “Honestly, if you change a manager in mid-season, it’s because things are not going as you want. And if things are not going as you want, everyone has to take the blame.
“Everyone in their department but as I said before, it’s easy to get rid of the manager than getting rid of 15 or 20 players. Now, our focus is on what the future can bring, get as quickly as possible on the ideas of the new manager.”
Fernandes was mentioned by Amorim as one of the players whose tendency to play long passes all the time poses a tactical challenge for him but he figures to be a crucial part of his plans.
Man Utd squad is out of hiding places under Ruben Amorim
It was thought that Ten Hag’s appointment made sure the Man Utd squad was out of hiding places but the owners changing shifted the dynamic.
Ten Hag always looked like he was on borrowed time after the 2023/24 season when Ineos came in midway while he was going through his worst run as manager.
Therefore, when it inevitably happened, Ten Hag shouldered most of the blame and even Ineos’ decision was understandable since he was not “their” man.
There’s no such asterisk with Ruben Amorim and if anything, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s brutal assessment of the squad earlier in the season poses more problems for the players than the manager.
Amorim might be United’s “head coach” instead of “manager” but the authority he wields, due to the sheer backing from the hierarchy, probably makes him the strongest appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson.
There are no hiding places for the players now and even Fernandes’ assertion of it being easier to sack the manager instead of the players might be tested if the results don’t improve in the next year or so.
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