Fernandes shows why he will be key for Amorim's Man United - ESPN

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said all the right things since Erik ten Hag's sacking. He shouldered responsibility for the Dutchman's departure and revealed he phoned his former boss to apologise.

He has done the right things, too, and after failing to score in Ten Hag's last 17 games in charge, he now has four in four under caretaker boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

His goal against Leicester helped United to a 3-0 win at Old Trafford on Sunday to give Van Nistelrooy's short spell the perfect finale. Three wins from four games has steadied the ship. On Monday, Rúben Amorim will officially be United's head coach, and he needs Fernandes to keep doing his talking on the pitch if he's going to get off to a quick start when his reign begins at Ipswich Town after the international break.

«It was a long time that I wasn't scoring and now goals are coming in the last few games,» Fernandes said after Sunday's game. «Another clean sheet was important for us to bring back the fortress we had here. We have to keep doing that and we have to improve. It's a new era, a new manager means everything changes, but what hasn't changed is that this club has to get back to where it belongs.»

United's new leadership team have put their faith in Amorim to be the man to turn the club around; they're expecting Fernandes to be front and centre, too.

The Portugal midfielder was handed a new contract in August that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2027. It came with a substantial pay rise, and he's now one of United's highest earners alongside Marcus Rashford and Casemiro. The inference is that, whoever the manager is, he will continue to be a central figure.

As a result, Amorim will have to find a place for him in