Former players cannot wait to get on his case. Even his own supporters, forgetting the chasm between him and the rest of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson signings, eagerly pounce on their overloaded skipper like a seagull circling a seaside pier.
But regardless of what role he plays, or if he portrays petulance more readily than Roy Keane can stomach, Manchester United would be a Championship side without Bruno Fernandes' all-too-often-disregarded influence on this sleeping giant of English football.
Given the current malaise around Old Trafford, Fernandes has been curtailed this season, deployed in a deeper role to mask further recruitment flaws in a stuttering Man United transfer machine. Chances are still being created – his wings not completely clipped – but the attacking influence has understandably waned.
Against Chelsea, in what was a must-win for all concerned around M16, it was a deeper assignment alongside Casemiro in a midfield two for the skipper once more.
“Sometimes we miss a little bit Bruno up front,” Amorim admitted ahead of Saturday’s encounter, while still refusing to budge on his much-criticised, so far unsuccessful system.
Robert Sanchez’s sending off inside five minutes at Old Trafford that gave Amorim the leg-up he so desperately needed allowed United to naturally break free from the Amorim shackles, up against 10 men and a Chelsea side immediately on the back foot.
That brought Fernandes forward, off the leash. And the results were devastating.
"That guy deserves to be in the history of our club, not just for what he does but for what his team conquers," Amorim said after the potentially job-saving 2-1 success at Old Trafford.
“That is the most important thing, the influence he has on the squad. Sometimes he's not in the best position to be the main man in every game, but the point of the captain is to be the best he can be in every situation to help the team to be better. He's doing that, I think he can play better, but everyone can play better in our team.
“He has a lot of quality near the box, he has a lot of quality building up. He deserves all the praise.”
Fernandes’ goal to set United on their way to victory would not have been possible without Sanchez’s early moment of match-defining madness, in this Amorim unit.
Looking to seize the day with that numerical advantage, Fernandes could make bursts into the penalty area to get on the end of knockdowns, moving to 100 goals for United as he set his beleaguered side en route to victory with the vital opener.
One further moment of brilliance in an inspirational showing that belied the perennial plight his team are struggling to navigate their way out of summed up what an unrestricted Fernandes can do for his team-mates, igniting an entire stadium in the process.
In the second half, seizing on a loose ball in the biblical rain, even by Manchester’s standards, Fernandes drove at a weary Chelsea rearguard. With no options either side, he elected to go himself, forcing a fine save from Chelsea stand-in stopper Filip Jorgensen. If that wasn’t enough to win over the naysayers, he roared at the Stretford End to get off their feet and do their bit, just as he so gallantly was doing himself.
When brought off late in the day, the leader in him could not be tamed, as he lived and breathed every late block, every throw-in won celebrated with gusto from the touchline, like Amorim’s overly-eager number two.
If this isn’t captain conduct, I don’t know what is. This is the Fernandes who has almost single-handedly carried this stumbling behemoth through crises after crises. One wasted further back.
Amorim’s beloved 3-4-3 is not ideal environment for Fernandes to thrive. He fits like a driving glove in that central No 10 role, but that position does not exist in the United boss’s blueprint.
There are two wide No 10 roles in which Fernandes can allow the creative juices to flow. Amorim and United’s problem is that this area of the pitch is overstocked, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha brought in specifically to be deployed there.
However, Saturday’s all-action hero incarnation of Fernandes has to be allowed to flourish once more. Amorim’s idea to play the skipper further back to allow for more control only restricts and strangles the very high-octane intensity that makes Fernandes who he is.
It won’t be an easy task, with the early signs that flexibility is not something Amorim considers to be part of his acumen. An exception for Captain Fantastic is nonetheless something even the most stubborn rookie coach cannot ignore.
