Erik ten Hag can consider Manchester United wildcard to solve £35m transfer problem

If any Manchester United player deserves a breather ahead of the start of pre-season training next month, it is Bruno Fernandes.

He clocked up his 70th appearance of the season for club and country during Portugal’s 1-0 win over Iceland in midweek. It meant he ended the 2022/23 campaign as the only player from Europe’s top five leagues to have played 70 matches this season.

He missed just three of United’s 62 outings, each of which were through suspension, meaning he boasts fitness levels that most players can only dream of. His durability levels are excellent and his injury record is nothing short of outstanding.

However, there comes a point where enough is enough. Despite the improved science and performance-enhanced data available nowadays, Fernandes is only human, meaning there will almost certainly be a point in his career were he risks blowing up if he continues to be pushed beyond realistic means.

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For instance, there were points during the most recent campaign that United manager Erik ten Hag would have preferred to have rested Fernandes. For example, was it necessary for him to start the 3-1 FA Cup fourth round win over Reading back in January? Probably not.

However, United lack alternative options in the attacking-midfield position, meaning Fernandes had next to no competition for his place. Donny van de Beek, who Ten Hag described as being at his best as an attacking-midfielder almost a year ago, suffered a season-ending injury in January, immediately leaving United light on a rotational option in the No.10 position.

Even without that injury, however, Fernandes would have still been without meaningful competition and a rotational option. Van de Beek has struggled to adapt to life in England after his initial £35million move from Ajax almost three years ago and could be offloaded this summer, though his recovery from his recent injury will dictate who is prepared to take a punt on him.

United’s budget and other necessary needs this summer means they are unlikely to invest in a back-up No.10, though primary midfield target Mason Mount is capable of filling the role. But considering United are planning to recruit him with a view to operating as a No.8, Fernandes could be without meaningful competition again.

However, Ten Hag may choose to take a leaf out of Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray’s book and experiment. Amad, though he is a right-winger by trade, did operate in a central role on several occasions during his loan spell at the Stadium of Light in 2022/23.

Mowbray often spoke of the challenge he faced in trying to squeeze Jack Clarke, Patrick Roberts and Amad, who are all wide players, into the same XI. Mowbray experimented by pushing Amad inside and tasking him with playing as a No.10, a position which he plundered five of his 14 goals from during his time on Wearside.

“He can play wide, he can play inside, he can play deep,” said Mowbray. “I think he can play centre-midfield for us in the Championship, you know. Just give him the ball and he very rarely loses it.

“Yet we generally put Roberts really wide and play Amad just inside him. We’ve had huge success down the right-hand side of the pitch with those two linking and playing with each other, people running off the back of the two of them and sliding people in. It’s very profitable for us. He is versatile.

“I see United games, I watch a lot of football, and Fernandes plays a bit of everywhere, off the right sometimes, inside as a No.10 or as a running No.8, he can play deep and link the midfield up. Amad is a similar type of footballer.”

The challenge facing Amad, however, is to prove that he can make the step up to the Premier League and deliver the goods on a regular basis. He was nothing short of outstanding in the Championship, delivering a series of impressive performances, but the top flight is much tougher and much more unforgiving.

For many, the next step United should take with Amad’s development is to send him out on loan again, this time to a fellow Premier League club. That would give the Reds another chance to assess him before making a long-term decision on his future.

However, as pre-season is so often a time for experimentation, Ten Hag should at least give Amad the chance to prove himself, both as a winger and as a No.10. If he flourishes, particularly centrally, he could be the ideal candidate to cover for Fernandes without forcing United to eat further into their budget.