Rio Ferdinand was more than relieved to hear that Bruno Fernandes had turned down a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal. The iconic centre-half, who became a club legend with Manchester United between 2002 and 2014, said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast that he even messaged the midfield maestro immediately after learning of the news.
Fernandes saw his future thrown into question at Old Trafford after the team's post-season tour of Malaysia and Hong Kong, as United were approached by Al-Hilal with a £100million bid and a breath-taking salary offer of £700k per-week for three years. Should the 30-year-old have accepted, it would have spelled trouble for United – given that the club captain was a standout in a dysfunctional team during this year's Premier League season.
And Ferdinand, who has kept tabs on his old club in the years since leaving, couldn't contain his adoration of Fernandes. He said: "I've got to be honest, the biggest news for me today. I woke up, I've been fretting the last three days, because I'm seeing Fabrizio [Romano], [David] Ornstein – the lot of them... 'Bruno's going Saudi. They've offered him £200m over four years.'
"Now listen, I've got to be honest with you. I don't know if I could have said no – 30 years old, at a club that's struggling. He's obviously had the conversation and listened, I definitely would have done that as well.
"He's staying, you know? Bruno's staying. Our most potent goalscorer, our biggest goal threat, our biggest provider, our biggest chance-maker. He does the lot.
"And our captain. He's just lost in the Europa League final, has just finished in our worst position that we've ever seen in recent years in the Premier League. In a team that's on its knees confidence-wise at the moment, that needs a big lift in this summer and this recruitment window, and needs the manager to get on his horse and start riding it.
"And our biggest player, our talisman, our captain has said no to Saudi where many others would have said yes, and I couldn't have woke up this morning happier."
Ferdinand, who hinted how he had shown his appreciation to Fernandes for choosing not to move to Saudi Arabia, added: "I did message him. I mean, I won't go into the details of that, but what a man."
It comes as manager Ruben Amorim has already kickstarted what may become an overhaul of the United squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag back in November, securing a £62.5m agreement with Wolves for Matheus Cunha. The Red Devils' goalscoring prowess has been underwhelming this season, with Rasmus Hojlund netting a mere four times in 33 appearances and Joshua Zirkzee, last summer's high-profile signing, managing just three Premier League goals.
The Red Devils are now also eyeing Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo, who boasts an impressive tally of 20 Premier League goals this season. It is believed that Old Trafford is Mbeumo's preferred move this summer, with talks expected to commence shortly.
The prospect of playing alongside the likes of Cunha and Fernandes seems to be enticing for Mbeumo, despite United's on-field struggles which saw them miss out on European qualification for the first time in over a decade. If United can resist interest from top European clubs for Fernandes before the summer transfer window closes, they'll be confident of posing a greater threat in the 2025/26 campaign.