Amorim on Bruno Fernandes: 'I don't know if he wants my job or not but he's a leader.' | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim spoke about Bruno Fernandes' leadership behind the scene with the midfielder still absent ahead of Manchester United's rematch with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Speaking in an embargoed press conference that took place after the Red Devils' Boxing Day win over Newcastle United, Amorim confirmed there are unlikely to be any players returning from injury.

"No. I don't know how Mase [Mount] is going to be for that game," the United manager said about Mount who was replaced at half-time in that game.

"I think Kobbie Mainoo is not going to be ready. Bruno [Fernandes] is not going to be ready. I think Matta [de Ligt] is not going to be ready. Harry [Maguire] is not going to be ready. So I think we are not going to have [any] more players."

Despite Fernandes being injured midway through the game against Aston Villa and expected to be out for three or four weeks, the Portuguese midfielder is already pushing to return to the pitch.

"Bruno is already saying that he needs to train, but we don't know. Kobbie Mainoo is going to start on the pitch, also, so we will see."

Indeed, Amorim felt the need to underline that Fernandes would not get his way and play while presumably still injured: "No chance he is going to play. No chance that he is going to play against Wolves. You can write that."

However, even without Fernandes available on the pitch he is still an influence off it: "He cannot be that guy that is not playing, not talking and not speaking. He's always speaking. 

"That's why he's the captain and he has bad things sometimes the way [he] moves his arms. But he has a lot of good things and he's always leaving the game, the practice every time, every time he makes recovery from the game, he's the guy that is going to watch the other guys training in that day. So there is a lot of things that you guys don't see that he does. He's a great leader now..."

"...He's the guy that is watching the trainings even after treatment and is going [out] there. I don't know if he wants my job or not but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."

Fernandes has scored five goals for United and made seven assists while playing in a more deeper midfielder position than he has done previously for the club.