Former Barcelona winger Gaizka Mendieta has called on his old club to sign one of Rúben Amorim’s current stars amid Manchester United’s inconsistency.
Rúben Amorim’s last few months at Manchester United have seen an uptick in form, with the Reds having won five of their last ten games, drawing two and losing three.
However, while there have been some fantastic wins in the process, losses against the likes of Brentford and Everton, and failures to hold leads against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham have left fans feeling frustrated by the inconsistency.
Only Manchester City have spent a greater average portion of games in the lead, but with a good run of fixtures coming up for the Reds, there is hope that Amorim’s men can climb up the table.
But, with major changes expected to be made in the summer, there is the possibility that many of those on the pitch could leave Old Trafford in 2026, regardless of results.
Barcelona urged to sign Fernandes
One person whose future remains unclear is club captain Bruno Fernandes, who reportedly has a release clause of £56.68 million for clubs outside England, provided it’s triggered early enough. After he was close to a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, his long-term future at United is still in the balance.
Despite Fernandes’ age, former Barcelona winger Gaizka Mendieta has urged his old club, who he made 49 appearances for, to look at the United captain, using former Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan as an example of an older player who can thrive in Spain.
“Look at Ilkay Gundogan,” he said, via GOAL. “He came to Barca also in his thirties, so in terms of age, not too much to worry about if Bruno Fernandes wants the move.
“Talent-wise, he has all the time that he needs for a player to succeed in La Liga. It’s obviously about how he feels about it. He’s obviously the captain at Man United.
“Maybe the fact that he’s not playing in a position where he would prefer could influence him. I cannot see why he couldn’t go to La Liga, to Barca, especially.”
Barcelona hesitant to sign older players amid Rashford decision
United and Barcelona dealt with each other in the summer, when Academy graduate Marcus Rashford sealed a season-long loan to the Catalan giants.
Read More: European giant ‘set aside’ £43.7m for Marcus Rashford transfer as major Barcelona doubts emerge
Since then, the England international has grabbed six goals and nine assists in 18 appearances, but according to recent reports, Barcelona are hesitant to trigger the £26 million buy option in his loan agreement.
According to reports, they do not want to sign a player who will be turning 29 early into next season, and are instead expected to focus on bringing in younger players – a policy that would almost certainly rule out any move for Fernandes.
However, French champions Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly closely tracking Rashford’s situation and have set aside £43.7 million to sign him this summer should he become available in 2026.
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