Football General Manager
- Portuguese midfielder remains talismanic captain
- Maguire & Martinez among those in leadership group
- Amorim confident he has full support of his players
The Red Devils lost their way somewhat in 2024-25, stumbling to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League and defeat in the Europa League final. Something clearly had to be done in order to get a fallen giant back on its feet.
Portuguese coach Amorim, despite early struggles at Old Trafford, is convinced that he remains the right man to deliver a reversal in fortune. He does, however, need everybody to pull in the same direction.
Fernandes is the man charged with the task of leading by example on the field, as he fills the skipper’s armband, but he will be ably assisted by a group of team-mates that now includes Harry Maguire, Tom Heaton, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui. Amorim has told BBC Sport that they are in charge of “small things” in the dressing room.
United boss Amorim went on to say of rebuilding the Red Devils: “Sometimes, when you are losing, you might think let’s change the standards a little bit for them [the players] to be with me. I didn’t – and they saw it. Now they understand when I say something, I will do it.
“I don’t treat the players as babies. But they have rules now and that can change the way you train. I’m always on top. If you don’t train in the right way, I have footage to show you. And I show you in front of everybody.”
Amorim is convinced that he boasts the full support of his players and a demanding board at Old Trafford, adding on the challenges that he has faced: “Try to remember one team, one big team that lost so many games and the manager kept their job. You will not find it. That shows more than words that they support me.”
United are currently in America completing their pre-season tour, with the countdown very much on to a 2025-26 Premier League opener that will see the Red Devils play host to old adversaries Arsenal on August 17.
