Bruno Fernandes has lifted the lid on how close he came to a Manchester United exitplaceholder image
Bruno Fernandes has lifted the lid on how close he came to a Manchester United exit | IG: canal_11
The Man Utd club captain could have left the club during the summer transfer window.
The Saudi club were prepared to pay a fee in the region of £100 million to sign the Portugal international in time for the Club World Cup, though it is understood they never placed a formal bid for the player. Fernandes spoke with United chiefs Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox about a possible exit, and they informed him they would not stand in his way if he wanted to leave the club.
Fernandes was eventually convinced to remain in Manchester after talks with Ruben Amorim in which the United head coach reiterated his faith in the club captain and made it clear he did not want to lose him. Speaking back in October, the 31-year-old refused to rule out a United exit at the end of the season, but reiterated he would not decide on his future until after the World Cup.
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Fernandes claims United wanted to sell him
Speaking in an explosive interview with Canal11, Bruno Fernandes once again lifted the lid on his potential Manchester United exit and claimed the club 'wanted' him to leave in the summer.
“Until you win trophies, you’re not valued as much, regardless of the club and league you’re in. I was valued, and what values me most has to be my club, although lately I feel like I’m on thin ice. In England, when a player starts approaching 30, they start thinking they need a makeover. It’s like the furniture.
“The issue of loyalty isn’t viewed the same way it used to be. I could have left in the last transfer window, I would have earned much more money, I was going to leave a season ago – I won’t say where – but I would have won many trophies that season. I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely love 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 bit. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player who has nothing to criticize. 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.
“The person who spoke to me was the president of Al Hilal, who called me directly. Rúben Neves sent me a message saying he wanted to talk to me. They wanted me to play in the Club World Cup with Al Hilal. It was already a love that came from the Jorge Jesus era, he had already called me in 2023.
“I can’t complain, I’m very well paid, but obviously the difference is abysmal. That was never what guided me. If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I’ll play in Saudi Arabia. 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 renowned players.
“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 20 or 30 million, so they pay me more on the other side.’ But I never did that. I never felt in a position to do it, because I felt that the empathy and affection I had for the club were the same. But it gets to 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 that, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision, because the manager wanted me. If I had said I wanted to leave, they would have let me go.”
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