Ruben Amorim confirms Bruno Fernandes decision ahead of Man Utd trip to Liverpool

12 hours ago 24

Rúben Amorim maintains complete confidence in Bruno Fernandes as Manchester United's designated penalty taker whilst expressing belief that his squad can cope with the intimidating Anfield atmosphere.

Fernandes has proven dependable from twelve yards throughout his Old Trafford tenure until this campaign, where he has squandered two of his three spot-kicks - during stalemates with Fulham and a loss to Brentford.

Speaking ahead of today's crucial encounter with Liverpool at Anfield, Amorim commented: "I know that is not easy for him, but I think he has 70 penalties, and he misses like nine, two with me, so I'm really annoyed with that. But he's really confident. He's training the penalties, he's trying to understand that people are watching the way he scores the penalties, so he will be ready. We have more guys also to score a penalty if he needs."

The Red Devils recruited attackers Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Šeško during the summer window, all of whom could deputise, yet when pressed on whether Fernandes would retain the duties, Amorim confirmed: "Yes, he's the main taker."

"He scores a lot of goals, penalties, he's passing this moment. We have other options. Again, if we need, we can change, but I'm fully confident that Bruno will sort that out."

Amorim, meanwhile, highlighted Fernandes as distinctive amongst his squad for studying numerous matches extensively.

The 40-year-old reckons alternative diversions have taken precedence, noting: "I think that is normal.

"Everything now is different, with a lot of distractions. I think they don't watch a lot of games. You have guys like Bruno, Bruno is watching his team-mates, he watches every game that is on TV.

"But then you have some guys that play really well - if they want to do something different, that's okay."

United will attempt to achieve something they haven't yet accomplished under Amorim - securing consecutive Premier League victories - when they face Liverpool on Sunday.

Arne Slot's team are equally eager for a positive result following a disappointing three-match losing run before the international break, with the Anfield faithful expected to create an intimidating atmosphere for the visiting side.

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Amorim, who witnessed a 2-2 stalemate at Anfield last season, expressed confidence in his squad's ability to cope with the hostile reception.

He commented: "We showed last year (we could), and I think the way we start the game is more important than the environment.

"Of course if they win a corner, an opportunity, the environment is going to be loud, but we are ready to play with that and, if you look last year, not this year, but last year, sometimes we play better in that kind of environment than the pressure at home, so we never know what is going to happen.

"It's really important to start the game well, to do a really good warm-up, to have a feeling, to understand that it's going to be tough in the first moments.

"So I think, I know, they are ready, but we need to prepare for the impact, especially for the beginning of the game."

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