Manchester United fans were left fuming after Ruben Amorim substituted captain Bruno Fernandes while the team was chasing an equaliser in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
The loss marked Amorim’s second setback since taking charge, as Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest side earned their first victory at the Theatre of Dreams in nearly three decades.
Goals from Nicola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Chris Wood stunned United, who briefly rallied with strikes from Rasmus Hojlund and Fernandes.
Fernandes’ brilliant goal in the second half had given United hope of salvaging a point, but Amorim’s decision to replace him with Mason Mount in the 76th minute left fans bewildered.
One supporter vented: “Taking off Bruno and Ugarte has been a mistake. Mount and Zirkzee have done absolutely nothing.”
Another added: “You simply cannot take Bruno Fernandes off when you need to create two goals.”
The frustration was shared by others, with one fan posting: “We needed a goal and we took off Bruno Fernandes,”
And another tweeting: “Don’t think taking Bruno off was the move.”
Amorim defended the controversial substitution after the match, citing fatigue as the reason behind the change.
He explained: “Bruno [Fernandes] was too tired, and I wanted [Mason] Mount to play that position of second midfielder who opens a bit on the left.”
BBC 5Live pundit Izzy Christensen praised Fernandes’ efforts and suggested Amorim’s decision was made with the long-term picture in mind.
She remarked: “Bruno Fernandes has put in an absolute shift, he’s been everywhere. Ruben Amorim has seen in his first few games how big Bruno Fernandes is to this system and has to protect him. Amorim needs to give other players the chance to be the hero, it can’t always be Fernandes.”
United must regroup quickly as they prepare to face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League on Thursday.
The pressure will intensify with a Manchester Derby looming against a similarly underperforming Manchester City, making it a pivotal week for Amorim and his team.
