Fernandes to stay Utd’s pen taker despite misses
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes will remain the club’s primary penalty taker despite missing two of his three spot-kick attempts this season, manager Rúben Amorim confirmed ahead of the high-profile Premier League clash against Liverpool.
Fernandes, 31, who signed a five-year contract extension with Manchester United in mid-2024, has scored 39 penalties from 45 attempts for the club across all competitions. Although his recent misses—against Fulham and Brentford—have raised questions about the reliability of his penalty conversion, Amorim expressed unwavering confidence in his captain’s ability to regain composure from 12 yards. The Portuguese midfielder has taken around 70 penalties in his career, missing only nine, which includes two during Amorim’s management, prompting some frustration from the coach.
Amorim noted Fernandes’s commitment to refining his technique, stating that the captain regularly practices penalties while adapting to opposition analysis of his shooting patterns. The manager acknowledged the presence of other capable penalty takers in the squad but emphasized Fernandes’s standing as the primary choice, underscoring his broader goal-scoring contributions and leadership role. Fernandes also demonstrated his clutch mentality by scoring a late winner against Burnley earlier this season and successfully converting penalties in shootouts, including the Carabao Cup against Grimsby Town.
From a tactical perspective, retaining Fernandes as the designated penalty taker aligns with Manchester United’s strategic emphasis on maintaining confidence and leadership stability within the squad. His composure and professionalism under pressure remain vital assets in tight matches, especially given the significance of set-piece opportunities in their campaign.
The decision to back Fernandes despite recent misses reflects a long-term perspective on the player’s role as a prolific scorer and leadership figure. For Fernandes, continuing as the penalty taker reinforces his critical place in the squad’s offensive framework and provides a platform to restore his precision in high-stakes moments, underpinning his broader career legacy at Manchester United.
This move signals Manchester United’s trust in Fernandes’s proven penalty-taking prowess and their commitment to sustaining an experienced core to lead the team through challenging fixtures, including significant clashes like the upcoming Liverpool game. The manager’s confidence suggests that Fernandes will have further opportunities to demonstrate his trademark composure and score decisively from the penalty spot in crucial moments.