Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted that he still thinks one of his first-team players “can play better” after the Chelsea match on Saturday.
The Red Devils bounced back from their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad by securing all three Premier League points at Old Trafford on the weekend.
Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea moved the Red Devils to 11th in the Premier League table, with the club winning two of their first five league matches.
Bruno Fernandes put United into a 1-0 lead over 10-man Chelsea in the first half before Casemiro doubled the Red Devils’ advantage at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Robert Sanchez was sent off for Chelsea in the opening five minutes of the 2-1 defeat, while Casemiro also received his marching orders for United before half-time.
Ruben Amorim sets the record straight over Bruno Fernandes after the Man Utd star’s performance vs Chelsea
Bruno Fernandes had a more meaningful Manchester United impact on Saturday after a hit-and-miss run of form during the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
The 31-year-old United captain has found himself playing more regularly in the two-man midfield pivot in Ruben Amorim’s system rather than in an advanced role.
Fernandes’ impact from the midfield role has been inconsistent, but Amorim feels the skipper’s bigger role is the influence that he has in the United first-team squad.
“Yeah, the most important thing is the influence that he has on the squad,” Amorim said at his post-match press conference on Saturday, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“Sometimes he’s not in the best position to be the main man in every game, but the point, especially of the captain, is to be the best he can be in every situation, to help the team to be better, and he’s doing that.”
Ruben Amorim talks up Bruno Fernandes even more after Man Utd’s Premier League win over Chelsea at Old Trafford
Fernandes’ goalscoring tally for United has reached 100 after he netted on his 200th Premier League appearance for the club against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
United manager Amorim took Fernandes off in the dying stages of the match and replaced the Portugal international with out-of-favour midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
Following United’s Premier League result over Chelsea, Amorim insisted that Fernandes can deliver even more for the Red Devils outside of his current influence.
“I think he can play better, but everyone can play better in our team. But it’s really important,” he continued.
“You can change in position; you can give different things to the team.
“He has a lot of quality near the box, he has a lot of quality building up and he deserved all the praise.”
United will return to Premier League action on Saturday and Brentford will host the Red Devils at the Gtech Community Stadium for a 12:30pm kick-off time in the UK.
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