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On the face of it, Bruno Fernandes could hardly have been more positive when asked about playing in midfield for Manchester United .

"I love playing football, whatever the position,” said Fernandes, ahead of Portugal's 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over Republic of Ireland. “They can put me at full-back, winger, goalkeeper. I’ll always give my best.”

But it was the follow-up remark from Fernandes that was most telling, suggesting the 31-year-old playmaker was far from happy at playing in a deeper-lying role on the insistence of boss Ruben Amorim . “Everyone has their preferences,” said United captain Fernandes. “But we have to adapt to the coach’s ideas.”

The clear inference from that comment is that Fernandes would rather play in a more advanced role, where he has b

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