Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has opened up on his transfer offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the summer and accused the club of trying to force him out the door
Bruno Fernandes speaking in an interview
Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United wanted to sell him
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Image: Sky Sports)
Bruno Fernandes has accused the Manchester United hierarchy of trying to force him to leave the club after a big-money offer arrived from Saudi Arabia. was but decided to reject the deal and stay at Old Trafford.
Al-Hilal were reportedly , which would have seen him earn around £200million over the duration of a three-year contract. United would have earned for their 31-year-old captain and the Portuguese playmaker has - for the first time - suggested that, while Ruben Amorim wanted him to stay, the club's hierarchy were keen to cash in.
"I can’t complain, I’m very well paid, but obviously the difference is huge. That was never what guided me. If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I’ll play in Saudi Arabia,” Fernandes told Canal 11 in quotes carried by via
“My lifestyle will change, my children’s lives will be sunny, after six years in Manchester with cold and rain, I’ll be playing in a growing league, with recognised players.
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“I could have left like many people do and said: ‘I want to leave, I don’t want to train, I just want to leave for €20m or €30m, so they pay me more on the other side.’ But I never did that. I never felt in a position to do that, because I felt that the empathy and affection I had for the club were the same.
“But there comes a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go, I have that in my head. I told the directors this, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision.
Bruno Fernandes stayed at Manchester United in the summer (
Image:
Getty Images)
“I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club. The conversation with the manager also made me stay. But, from the club’s side, I felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’ It hurts me a lot.
"More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player they have nothing to criticise about. I’m always available, I always play, good or bad. I give my all. Then you see things around you, players who don’t value the club as much and don’t defend the club as much… that makes you sad.”
Fernandes the proposition along with his family before turning it down, despite United having just finished 15th in the and against . He is under contract with United, where he has 103 goals and 93 assists in 307 games, until June 2027, but the club has the option to extend it.
Bruno Fernandes stayed to work under Ruben Amorim (
Image:
Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
“I haven’t fulfilled my dreams here yet,” he told in August when asked why he didn’t leave. “I think I can still give something to the club. I think I’m still in a position where I’m helpful so the thing for me is that I will be here until the club decides that ‘Bruno, it’s time to go’.
“Obviously, I know it was tough on the club to decide that because it was a big amount of money that the club hasn’t got probably since Cristiano [Ronaldo] left, he was the last one where they got so much money for a player.
“I know for the club it was tough to decide. Because on one side I’m the club captain, I’m important for them, even if at times I’ve not been great, I’ve been performing and everything. I know that in the public eye it will be bad if things go wrong. But it would be very good if things go well – if they sell me and they get more players and whatever. But in my mind I’ve always said that this is the place I want to be."
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