Ruben Amorim told he only has two leaders he can to turn to in Manchester United squad
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha believes Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire are the only leaders in Ruben Amorim's squad.
Ahead of last Sunday's 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, Amorim, hosting his pre-match press conference at Carrington on Friday, said his squad was "starved of leaders", urging more experienced figures to step up and help the club's younger players.
Amorim was in the midst of confirming United planned to trigger the one-year option in Maguire's contract at the time of making the admission, insisting the England international needs to "improve as a leader". The defender was United captain for three-and-a-half years between January 2020 and the summer of 2023.
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Fernandes, of course, was installed as Maguire's successor on a permanent basis having sported the armband on numerous occasions throughout the 2022/23 season. And in the opinion of Saha, who played for the Reds between 2004 and 2008, the aforementioned duo are the only two leaders within the United camp.
"I love Bruno Fernandes' performances – people criticise him but I've always defended him," said Saha, speaking to Paddy Power. "He's not playing in a team where there are other captains that could take his place.
"I'm not saying he's not a captain, but in my era, we had Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Roy Keane and Edwin van der Sar. How many of those guys did we have in our dressing room?
"Now, you maybe feel that only Fernandes and maybe Harry Maguire express themselves as leaders. As a captain, focusing on what happens on the pitch is the most important thing, but it's also about inspiring passion. Bruno hasn't fulfilled his talent at times, but he's shown that he cares.
"The standard at Manchester United is not right, and he has been criticised a lot – he said it himself in an interview that he blames himself and wasn't happy with how he performed in some games. I think that's brilliant, and good for the team's confidence.
"Manchester United need to be consistent now – they have brought themselves up [a level] after the Liverpool result in the eyes of their fans, they need to do this week-in, week-out now."
