Manchester United are now facing fresh interest from the Saudi Pro League for their captain Bruno Fernandes.
Al-Hilal are prepared to pay Man United a huge fee to sign Fernandes this summer, and they’re also ready to give the Portugal international an outrageous contract to boot.
Ruben Amorim has made it extremely clear that he has no interest in Fernandes leaving Old Trafford, which should be the stance of everyone connected with the club.
However, following such a disappointing season for United on all fronts, there might be genuine fear that the Red Devils are about to lose their best performer for the last five or so years.
The Saudi Pro League are not giving up on signing Fernandes and it could now be scary hours for United fans, even if their captain has been so committed to their cause.
Xavi Simons can replace Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United
That being said, if United do need to do the unthinkable and replace Fernandes this summer, perhaps their former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has just earmarked their perfect replacement.
Van Nistelrooy certainly knew about how to be successful at United, and when speaking in an interview with Stadium Astro, he has just been lauding the personality of Dutch talent Xavi Simons.
Simons is set to leave RB Leipzig this summer and United are among the clubs linked with a move — even before any Fernandes departure.
United tried to sign Simons last summer whilst Erik ten Hag was in charge, and perhaps now is the perfect time to reignite that interest.
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Speaking in the interview, Van Nistelrooy was asked to align music genres with football players — not the easiest of tasks.
But when explaining why Simons came to mind when the United legend was asked about hip-hop music, Van Nistelrooy perhaps also explained why Simons is the perfect character to potentially fill Fernandes’ shoes at a pressure cooker like Old Trafford.
Stating what hip-hop music stood for, the interview said: “Someone who is very confident, fearless, who doesn’t care about the world and what they think of them. They’re just ‘I’m me’, and that’s it.”
Van Nistelrooy then replied: “A young boy that I worked with in PSV Eindhoven, he joined us from Paris, hadn’t played a lot of senior football but came in with motivation and a drive and belief in himself and also a bit of that swag.
“He started to perform and we had an excellent season together and his name is Xavi Simons.”
Man United need to stop losing characters like Scott McTominay
After leaving United last summer, Scott McTominay has obviously gone on to have extraordinary success in Serie A with Napoli.
Jose Mourinho had already preempted United’s McTominay mistake, and losing Fernandes’ personality this summer would follow a similar trend.
Therefore, bringing in someone like £67m-rated Simons who can thrive even in tough surroundings through his own personal resilience could be invaluable for Amorim moving forward.
Whatever system the former Sporting CP manager chooses to play, Simons will fit.
And perhaps even if Fernandes stays at United, which still appears the most likely outcome, Simons should be bought regardless — an exceptional talent who’s still at the very beginnings of his career.