Ruben Amorim hailed Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes’ leadership after his brace in their 2-1 pre-season Premier League Summer Series win over West Ham.
Then 30-year-old’s double put United in the driving seat before Jarrod Bowen brought one back for the Hammers.
Following a trophyless season and their worst Premier League finish of 15th, United have added Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to their squad.
Amorim acknowledged that his skipper can get frustrated but says he needs to trust his teammates.
“It was so clear last season, you can see it with the goals and assists. But it’s not just that. I think now he has more players, I feel, to help him to lead the group and that is a good thing,” Amorim said about Fernandes on MUTV.
“He is our leader and really important, not just on the field, but off the field. He leads by example.
“He works really hard, is always available and, sometimes, he plays with pain. Sometimes, the problem is he gets frustrated and loses a little bit of focus of his job.
“Sometimes, he wants to help the teammates so much, it is not the best thing to do. They have to do their job and Bruno has, for example, to wait for the ball.”
Mbeumo was not part of the squad and Amorim confirmed he will not play in their next match against Bournemouth as he builds fitness following his move from Brentford.
United took the lead after just five minutes, with Irons keeper Alphonse Areola clumsily fouling Ayden Heaven in the area to allow Fernandes to convert his penalty into the bottom-left corner.
After Amad Diallo had one chalked off for offside, the Portugal international continued to showcase his quality in the second half with a guided long-range effort into the top-left corner.
“It was completely different to last season. We didn’t suffer, we scored and that can help you play better,” Amorim added on his side’s improved display.
“We had some possession, we defend well, one against one, we press high, especially the goal-kicks and it helped us to win the ball sometimes.
“I think we need to have more long possession when we win the ball, so that we are near the box and try to find the small spaces. We can handle the ball and work the ball a little bit more.”
