Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim defends Bruno Fernandes substitution

Ruben Amorim said Bruno Fernandes was too tired to carry on after replacing the Manchester United captain with his side in search of a goal at Nottingham Forest.

Fernandes was replaced with 14 minutes to go, and United trailing Forest 3-2. He had cut the deficit with a well-taken goal just after the hour mark, but when he came off, it ended his status as the only outfield player to be an ever-present under Amorim.

There was a murmur of surprise when Fernandes' number came up, although he raced off the pitch to allow Mason Mount to come on. Amorim explained the decision was because Fernandes was running out of steam and that Mount could offer something different.

"I understand that Bruno is really dangerous near the box, he scores one goal but he was tired, with transition," he said. "We had one stop with two substitutions.

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"I could let Bruno Fernandes [stay out] there but I felt with Mason Mount he is good at set pieces, he can score also because he's very technical and we need fresh legs. And if you see the game, transitions, we can lose the ball and if you suffer another goal, it was over.

"I used all the substitutions. With a lot of games, I felt Bruno was a little tired., I have Mason Mount and tried to put Mason Mount and Josh near Rasmus to try something else."

Amorim has now used all five subs in all of his games in charge and heavily rotated his starting XI. After three successive matches in which he made six alternations, he made four changes on Saturday from the side that lost to Arsenal in midweek.

He has also made a habit of benching the players who scored in the previous