Ruben Amorim has called on former Manchester United players who criticise captain Bruno Fernandes to stop looking at his game in 'black and white' and appreciate the diversity the bigger picture offers.
The 30-year-old has often been a target during poor performances, with former captain Roy Keane voicing his displeasure that “talent is not enough” when he criticised his management two weeks ago.
Fernandes said he used the harsh comments as a boost after he fired United into the Europa League quarter-finals with a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad in the last-16 second leg.
The Amorim head coach recently said his assessment of the Portugal playmaker was more important than that of Kean, calling him the “perfect captain” after a 5-2 aggregate win to reach the quarter-finals against Lyon.
“I think he's extremely important for this team,” he noted. “And you can see it in the statistics, and also in the last few games, he's always the one scoring.
“It’s not the only aspect, but it’s always there.
“When you play for this team you have to be prepared for criticism and I understand that the former players have had great success here and their standards were so high that sometimes they see things as black or white.
“In life, sometimes there are not only black and white, but also many other shades, and it is important to understand the context.
“I repeat, he is always there, trying his best, so I am very proud to coach a player like him.”
Fernandes' availability for United is almost as significant as his other attributes, especially given the Red Devils were without 11 players for a third successive game.
Those issues could ease a little when the Red Devils face a tough game at Leicester on Sunday, with Manuel Ugarte set to return to the bench against La Real and Harry Maguire looking to recover from his struggles.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
