Ruben Amorim faces multiple crises at Manchester United: no reliable goalkeeper, a £200m strikeforce struggling to score, recurring missed penalties and a humiliating Carabao Cup exit to League Two Grimsby Town, United's worst result in the competition. United finished 15th in the 2024-25 Premier League and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham. Bruno Fernandes remained the club's talisman, contributing 19 goals and 19 assists that likely prevented relegation. Despite his output, the team often performs poorly with him, raising doubts about his compatibility with Amorim's 3-4-3 system and whether he has become a square peg in a round hole. Consideration centers on whether Fernandes is the root cause of the club's troubles and if United would improve without him.
Fernandes is United's talisman. During the club's disastrous 2024-25 season, when the team finished 15th in the Premier League -- their worst position since being relegated in 1974 -- and lost the Europa League final against Tottenham, the 30-year-old was still able to contribute 19 goals and 19 assists for United. Without those goals and assists, United could have suffered the ultimate ignominy of being relegated to the EFL Championship.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has a mountain of problems. He doesn't have a reliable goalkeeper, his £200m strikeforce is struggling to score goals, and missed penalties are becoming a recurring nightmare. But has his best player, and captain, Bruno Fernandes, become the team's biggest problem? As the dust settles on a humiliating Carabao Cup exit against League Two side Grimsby Town -- United's worst defeat in the competition -- solving the puzzle of getting the best version of Fernandes might seem trivial in comparison.
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