Ruben Amorim addressed the significance of the absence of Bruno Fernandes from his side.
The Man United captain suffered an injury against Aston Villa in a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park on the weekend.
Kobbie Mainoo is also absent with an injury, depriving the midfield unit of regular options, and the presence of two key attackers at AFCON since the 4-4 draw against Bournemouth means his offensive output is an even greater miss .
“I think it's impossible to replace Bruno, but I say that in this morning to the team. I think we need to take the good thing, if there is a good thing on that a lot of people need to step up. And if you see, it's not just the creation, but every set piece, he’s the guy that is organising sometimes the team.
“And that is a good opportunity for everyone to step up and to understand that we cannot rely on one player for everything. And sometimes we rely on Bruno in the organisation, in the creation.
“We lost Bruno on set pieces. We lost Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo on set pieces. So, this is massive for the team, but it's an opportunity for other players to step up and to show the leadership that we need in the team.
“[Bruno] understands every position on the field. He pays attention to every detail. Every set piece, when you have a substitution, he’s always the guy that is telling the other guys where they should be.
“But that is a very good opportunity for guys like Licha [Lisandro Martinez], Luke Shaw, all these guys. We need to step up to have more leaders in the group because this can happen to Bruno. It's not usual, but this can happen. So, it's a big opportunity for the other guys.”
