“I begged him to stay when he wanted to leave in January and he’s our best player now”: Man United’s captain Bruno Fernandes names the only Manchester United player better than him at the moment
A Man Utd player has finally had his breakthrough moment with Ruben Amorim and it’s a credit to the manager that he’s acknowledging it publicly.
The mood around Manchester United is suddenly as good as it has ever been after their 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League semifinal.
It was a game where the experienced stars made their experience count, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, and Casemiro making the difference.
Now the focus turns back to the Premier League and Ruben Amorim is faced with selection headaches. One player who definitely will be saved for the game next Thursday sums up his transformation.
Ruben Amorim’s ‘lesson to all players at Man Utd’
Amorim has generally been a manager who is balanced with his praise, instead wanting to keep the players’ feet on the ground.
Therefore, when he says something as massive like one player being an example to everyone at the club, it is worth sitting up and taking notice.
That’s exactly what happened when he was asked about Casemiro before the Brentford clash, as he went into serious detail about what’s changed with the Brazilian.
Amorim said that Casemiro was even behind Toby Collyer at one point under him but tactical tweaks combined with the player’s hard work have changed his mind.
He said: “I think he’s improved a lot. You can see, not just the way he plays but the way he runs. We have the data to show he worked really, really hard. He’s a very good example.
“He was not playing, even Toby [Collyer] sometimes was playing in front of him but now it’s hard to [drop] Casemiro. So it’s a lesson for all player in Man Utd, no matter what is the past or last momth, everything can change in one moment.”
Ruben Amorim makes a strong statement
Generally, despite football being a meritocracy, it’s impossible for managers to not have their favourites who get a longer rope than others.
Who can forget Erik ten Hag’s obsession with playing Antony, or even Omari Forson over Amad at one point in his tenure?
By not just changing his mind but also accepting it publicly, Amorim has made his hand stronger and put the ball in the players’ court in the future.
There’s a place for everyone at Old Trafford if they work hard so if they’re being let go, they have only themselves to blame because Amorim is as fair as they come.
Casemiro will be held up as an example but Alejandro Garnacho is in the same boat too after separating himself from the Marcus Rashford farce in December.
Amorim has set his stall out and sent a clear message. A player’s future is in their hands. True meritocracy has finally been installed.
