
As his side prepares for the high-stakes visit of Manchester United, head coach Rúben Amorim has confirmed that club captain Bruno Fernandes will remain Manchester United’s first-choice penalty taker, despite two recent misses from the spot.
The announcement comes just ahead of the Premier League clash at Anfield, and the decision shows Amorim’s confidence in Fernandes even amid mounting scrutiny.
While the Portuguese midfielder’s conversion rate has stood strong historically, his early season struggles from 12 yards prompted questions about whether United should re-evaluate the role.
Fernandes’ recent penalty record triggered the conversation. In the current campaign, he has missed spot-kicks against both Fulham and Brentford, raising eyebrows across the Premier League and United’s fanbase.
Yet the wider data still favours him, 39 goals from 45 attempts in the Premier League make him the club’s most prolific penalty taker in history.
Despite the dips, Amorim insisted the captain retains his status.
“Yes, he’s the main taker,” said Amorim, as reported by GOAL.
“He scores a lot of goals … We have other options and more guys to score a penalty if he needs. If we need, we can change. But I’m fully confident that Bruno will sort that out.”
He cited Fernandes’ volume of attempts, noting: “I think he has 70 penalties … he misses like nine, two with me, so I’m really annoyed with that!”
He emphasised that Fernandes is “training [to take] the penalties … trying to understand that people are watching the way he scores penalties.”
By publicly reaffirming Fernandes, Amorim aims to draw a line under recent inconsistency, rally the squad, and signal confidence in his leader.
With the Man United captain fully backed ahead of the Anfield clash, the spotlight will remain firmly on Fernandes when, and if, United are awarded a penalty.
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