Ruben Amorim told he must consider future of Manchester United star who has become ‘liability’

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness believes Bruno Fernandes has become a ‘liability’ and Ruben Amorim must strongly consider whether the midfielder has a long-term future at Manchester United.

Fernandes, 30, has undoubtedly been one of United’s most consistent performers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, which has largely been defined by turbulence and disappointment both on and off the pitch.

Since swapping Sporting for the Red Devils in 2020, Fernandes has racked up 85 goals and 76 assists, while helping the club lift the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup.

In 2023, Fernandes took over the captain’s armband from Harry Maguire and the playmaker is second only to Casemiro when it comes to United’s top earners.

However, throughout his five-year stay at Old Trafford, Fernandes has faced criticism for his questionable behaviour in games, with the Portugal international often accused of setting a bad example for his team-mates.

Fernandes’ discipline, or lack of, when United are out of possession has also been called into question and Jamie Carragher recently argued that selling ‘must be a consideration’ for the Portuguese, who has already been sent off three times this term.

In his latest Mail Online column, former Liverpool and Scotland skipper Souness echoed Carragher’s comments and suggested Fernandes’ ‘negative’ energy was ‘damaging’ to United’s young stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho.

‘Ruben Amorim has many major calls to make going forward and arguably one of the biggest ones is does Bruno Fernandes have a future at Manchester United,’ Souness wrote in the wake of Fernandes’ sending off in a 2-0 defeat to Wolves.

‘Fernandes is easily their most talented player with the ball. He is up there with anyone else in the Premier League at being able to play that killer ball but the rest of his game is lacking in a big way.

‘From his antics when the game is not going well to constantly throwing arms in the air, shrugging his shoulders at team-mates – and he wears the armband.

‘What example does he set for Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho, young players all making their way in the game?’

‘You want your captain, your leader, to be setting an example for everyone in that dressing room, that is why you pick him as your captain because he leads by example.

‘Having all that wonderfully creative picture in your head and being able to deliver on it, he certainly, certainly has and I am sure there isn’t a day in training, watching the small-sided games, when the manager and his coaching staff aren’t nudging each other going “wow” when Fernandes has the ball. But I think he has become a liability for Manchester United.

‘He has undoubted talent and he will be thinking he should be playing for the very best teams out there but he is not and he is showing a negativity which will be damaging to those around him – as with the sending off against Wolves.

‘I don’t believe he a nasty player but these actions are born out of frustration. That’s three times he has been sent off this season, and we are in December.’

Souness believes Fernandes’ behaviour in United’s humiliating defeat to Liverpool last year showed a distinct lack of ‘mental toughness’ when the team are ‘up against it’.

‘I will never get the image out of my head of how he reacted to going three goals down at Liverpool when Manchester United lost 7-0 at Anfield,’ he continued.

‘He just threw the towel in, walking around pointing fingers at his team-mates, shrugging shoulders. For the oldies that read this, I will quote the Billy Ocean song: ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But Fernandes doesn’t.

‘His actions at Anfield showed me where his mental toughness was, nowhere. And that’s my point, just having ability isn’t enough to be a top player, he needs to show mental toughness, discipline and work-rate when you’re up against it and that’s certainly what United are at the moment.

‘In successful dressing rooms, his negative reactions to his team-mates’ shortcomings would have been ironed out in the very first week of training.

‘The big players would have been all over him in training, physically and verbally, that is “Shut the f*** up and have some of that. And by the way have some of this!”

‘I was never part of a team that threw the towel in, I was always fortunate to be in teams that had strong characters.

‘When I was made captain at Liverpool, our coach Joe Fagan pulled me aside and said “do nothing different, do your own job first, if it’s going well, then help those around you”. It was never about pointing fingers at your mates when things weren’t going well.’

United’s Boxing Day setback at Wolves was the club’s third loss on the bounce and Amorim’s fifth defeat since taking over the reins from interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy last month.

Fernandes and Co will be desperate to return to winning ways on Monday night when they play host to Newcastle in what promises to be an intriguing contest at Old Trafford.

Amorim’s men are stranded down in 14th place ahead of the clash, trailing fifth-placed Newcastle by seven points in the Premier League table.

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