Rio Ferdinand has had his say on Bruno Fernandes' decision to snub a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal, confessing he many not have been able to do the same
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Rio Ferdinand has confessed that he might have struggled to reject the kind of lucrative offer Bruno Fernandes recently declined.
Despite Manchester United's challenging season, which saw them finish 15th in the Premier League and without silverware, Fernandes demonstrated his commitment by turning down a staggering £100million transfer to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, which included a reported weekly wage of around £700,000.
At 30 years old and with United having had their worst season in Premier League history, some might not have faulted Fernandes for considering a move, particularly as he is entering the latter stages of his career. Yet, the Portuguese midfielder's decision to stay put and be a key part of Ruben Amorim's plans for rebuilding the team for the 2025/26 season showcased his leadership qualities.
Ferdinand, a United icon in his own right, shared his thoughts on the matter with the Mirror, saying: "The one thing it says to me, there's a loyalty. And I think that word gets banded about quite a lot, but we don't really see it often from the club's point of view and the players. And listen, I understand it's a business.
"But I think he looks at this as pure, 'I've got unfinished business at United. There's stuff I want to do here. Yes, I've been paid well here. The fans love me.' But I think he's in the game of wanting to give back after all he's received. So I've got nothing but respect for him. I would have understood him leaving if he left, 100%.
"But the fact that he stayed and said, listen, there's stuff for me still to do here. I think it's a testament to him as a person, but also another reason why the managers comfortably give him the armband."
However, Ferdinand conceded that if put in Fernandes' position, his decision might have been different. He added: "If I was him, I think I'd have found it difficult to say no. I've got to be honest."
Bruno Fernandes speaks to media during Manchester United's post-season tour
Fernandes snubbed a mega-money move to the Saudi Pro League
Despite the turbulence at Old Trafford, Fernandes remained consistent this season with eight league goals and 11 assists under his belt. And Amorim is clearly setting his sights on enhancement, having already secured a £62.5m deal for Wolves' Matheus Cunha and pursuing talents such as Bryan Mbeumo to fortify the squad's attacking capabilities.
It appears Amorim has the full support from the boardroom and with a first pre-season in sight, it's a golden chance for the meticulous adjustment of his team dynamics. It comes as Ferdinand has been active off the pitch, having launched his Career Transfer Hub in partnership with Talking Futures to foster family conversations about education and career planning.
Speaking on the initiative, Ferdinand said: "I think it's about empowering kind of families to talk more about education, especially parents. I think we're comfortable talking about a lot of things, i.e. football, a lot of the time in and around the front room or across the table with your kids, but getting that kind of common ground when you're talking about education, sometimes it's quite difficult, even I've found it difficult at times.
Rio Ferdinand poses at a Talking Futures event
Rio Ferdinand has launched the Career Transfer Hub with Talking Futures
"So something like this is definitely a good way in and a good avenue in to kind of having those conversations about what's next in your life, education wise, where do you see yourself going? What paths are you looking at?
"And this is a great, I think, avenue for parents to really kind of touch the paper and go, right, listen, here we go, and start walking their kids down the right path, giving them a little bit of autonomy over it, but also guide them a little bit at the same time. So I wish I'd had this when I was younger - although I had football, which I was quite fortunate with."
Rio Ferdinand has partnered with Talking Futures to launch the Career Transfer Hub – giving parents access to information on their child’s education options just like football agents have transfer insiders, negotiation teams and career scouts. You can find out more here.