The Manchester United captain has admitted he would have loved to see Declan Rice join the club, describing him as the ideal fit for the team
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes would have liked to play alongside Declan Rice
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Bruno Fernandes has revealed he wished Declan Rice had joined Manchester United, saying he sees him as the perfect fit for the club. The former West Ham captain was heavily linked with Old Trafford but ultimately joined the Gunners instead.
Rice had been on United's wishlist for some time and, back in 2021, the club were searching for a new midfield star under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The former manager even admitted there had been discussions about signing Rice, a player he 'really liked.'
In the end, a deal never materialised and United moved for Raphael Varane instead. Two years later, Rice completed his switch to Arsenal for an initial £100m, rising by a further £5m in add‑ons, making him the most expensive English player of 2023.
And Fernandes admitted he wished the England midfielder had chosen Old Trafford instead. During an interview with The Football Writers' Association, he said: "I've always said, Rice was a player to play for Man United, I was really sad when he chose to go Arsenal.
"I always thought he would be a perfect fit for our club."
The pair, who share a strong mutual respect, worked together three years ago during a summer training camp in Portugal. Fernandes, who delayed his return to Carrington after Portugal's Euro 2024 commitments, trained alongside Rice as part of a group that also included Joao Cancelo and James Maddison at the Campus facility in the Algarve.
Footage from the session showed Rice hugging Fernandes after the Portuguese midfielder clipped the post with a first‑time volley during shooting practice. Fernandes later reposted a picture of the pair from the session, adding a handshake emoji and writing: "Was a pleasure to work with you."
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