Bruno Fernandes suggested Man United could "cash in" on him after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao.
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Fernandes' future is up in the air
Fernandes' future is up in the air
Ruben Amorim has reiterated the importance of Manchester United keeping captain Bruno Fernandes as part of their rebuild.
Fernandes cast doubt on his future in the wake of the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham last week, suggesting United could "cash in" on him amid interest from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
The 30-year-old signed a new contract in August but the expiry date was extended only by a year to 2027. United also have the option of an additional year.
Fernandes ended 2024-25 as United's top scorer with 19 goals and he has won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in four of his six seasons with the club.
Amorim said last month that Fernandes is "not going anywhere because I’ve already told him" yet United are prepared to listen to offers for any player this summer.
“We already talk about that many times," Amorim said of Fernandes. "You can see by the performance, the leadership, the passion he has for the game, it’s really important. Especially in these kind of moments.
"The last game the team was without pressure, they performed quite well, everybody wants the ball. But we had some difficult moments and in those difficult moments you can see that Bruno is the guy that takes responsibility.
"He should be (taking responsibility) because he’s the captain, he’s experienced, he’s really important for us and really important for what we want to build with this team.”
United are in Kuala Lumpur for the first leg of their post-season tour and take on the ASEAN All-Stars on Wednesday night. Amorim has selected several youngsters in his squad, among them Dan Armer, Jaydan Kamason, Reece Munro, Jim Thwaites, Jack Moorhouse and Shea Lacey.
The sextet are yet to make their competitive debuts but are expected to get playing time in Asia, with United also scheduled to play in Hong Kong on Friday.
“We had six months with all of the players that are here and many of them we use in training," Amorim explained, "so we know the players.
"But specifically for this kind of game we try to bring all the players in different positions for the games we have in this moment.
"So for the next season we will see, but it’s a good opportunity to see the young players and sometimes we have surprises like Ayden (Heaven) every time he played he proved that he’s a first-team player.
“I think one of the issues sometimes with youngsters is we push too much from the beginning, that sometimes is really hard. You have social media, all this pressure around young kids, sometimes it’s hard to control.
"I don’t want to say any name (to look out for). I believe in all of them and, sometimes like I said, you have surprises. My job is to give the tools and the opportunities for the young kids, try to protect them.
"This is a massive club, that is a big question in our club, putting our young kids on the pedestal and that is an important thing to change because we need to control that.”