Manchester United were close to selling Bruno Fernandes last summer, and if they’ve heard Tyler Adams’s latest ‘ruins your tactics’ praise, their next summer decision has been made for them.
Bruno Fernandes has had a season of two halves so far, with the first one characterised by him huffing and puffing but still producing in a deeper role under Ruben Amorim.
Michael Carrick arrived after Amorim’s sacking, and Fernandes picked up the creative slack like he never stopped, and is one of, if not the best player in the league right now.
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It comes under a cloud of uncertainty over his future ahead of the summer window, but Ineos must hear Bournemouth’s Tyler Adams speaking about Fernandes to make up their mind.
Bruno Fernandes during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in 2026 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Tyler Adams on Bruno Fernandes
Fernandes has long been a player who divides public opinion because of his supreme ability combining with his actions on the pitch.
However, his fellow professionals have always rated him highly, which is often a marker of how good a player actually is away from all the noise.
Tyler Adams, who has had quite a few duels with Fernandes for Bournemouth and Leeds, has now showered him with the ultimate praise.
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Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, Adams said it’s ‘impossible’ to plan for Fernandes because he ‘ruins your tactics’ by coming to the game.
He said: “It’s impossible to take Bruno out of the game. He can make something out of nothing, but he also just goes and finds the game, so he completely ruins your tactics of how you want to play. He’s a ridiculously talented player.”
Add Adams to the list of Fernandes fans, and his comment is particularly interesting for the “ruins your tactics” claim, because it fights back against Ineos’ philosophy with older players.
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On paper, Fernandes, whose contract runs until 2027, is a no-brainer to be moved on because he will turn 32 in September.
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However, the way Carrick has restored the old guard of United, including Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Casemiro, should give Ineos a pause.
Fernandes’ game has never been about pace and explosiveness, and it has everything to do with his game sense, intelligence, creativity, and positioning.
Those things don’t dim with age. If anything, they improve further, as evidenced by someone like Luka Modric at AC Milan this season.
Fernandes might be getting older in pure footballing terms, but the big picture is that his output is unlikely to decrease with age.
As Adams says, his game is about breaking down the opposition with his mind, which sharpens with experience.
That should make Ineos’ decision easy. Giving him a contract extension is a no-brainer. He should be the captain when United eventually lift another Premier League title.
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