“Part of the answer or is he part of the problem?”: Mike Phelan questions contribution of United’s biggest star

Former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has claimed that his former side must find a way to get the best out of Bruno Fernandes again.

Phelan was a member of the coaching team in 2020 when the Portuguese international was signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 62 year old also accompanied Solskjaer on a scouting trip to Lisbon to watch Fernandes in action and according to a recent interview with The Athletic, this was enough to convince them of his talents.

Commenting on the match where they watched Fernandes in action Phelan said, “Bruno did everything that day. No real specific position, but he was everywhere, quite undisciplined. It worked in the environment he was in. What he had was vision, the ability to control the ball, to take a risk and to create something.”

The former first team coach claimed the club was convinced so “went all-in” for him and they were not disappointed with what they got as he instantly adapted to life at Old Trafford.

“He didn’t disappoint. Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable about the game. Pretty effective around the place, quite controlling. But he delivered. And he was the right player at the right time for us. A good person.”

Whilst Fernandes has been generally considered an overall success and in many peoples’ books, the biggest transfer success for the club since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, there have been some criticisms of the player as of late.

Phelan believes that the player’s willingness to take on responsibility has ultimately negatively impacted the player he once was.

“He became the focal point of everything, and that was probably down to the group of players we had. Then he became captain. That was a decision other people made for whatever reasons, and he probably levelled out a little bit. He probably tried to affect everybody and forgot about himself.”

Phelan then suggested that one of incoming coach, Ruben Amorim’s biggest tasks is to “find a way of getting the best out of Bruno. I think they’re still juggling with that. Is he part of the answer or is he part of the problem? I don’t know. It’s about trying to make him a little bit more aware of the job at times.”

Fernandes has not had his best season so far but he still has eight goal contributions in all competitons, including three goals in his last two matches.

He will hope that the arrival of his campatriot, Amorim, will help him return to the outstanding player he has been for most of his time at the football club.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images