“It’s a joke…” Erik ten Hag SLAMS Bruno Fernandes Manchester United exit rumours

Erik ten Hag has slammed reports that Bruno Fernandes is considering leaving Manchester United this summer as he prepares his team to face Newcastle in the Premier League.

Bruno Fernandes has once again shown himself to be a pivotal part of Manchester United this season, leading the charts for both goals (15) and assists (11) across all competitions this season.

After Erik ten Hag promoted Bruno Fernandes to the role of club captain last summer, taking the title from Harry Maguire, the Portuguese international has paid the manager back in kind with his performances, helping lead United to a second consecutive FA Cup final.

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However, reports on Monday evening claimed that Fernandes is now “considering” his future at United, with subsequent outlets claiming that Saudi Arabia and Barcelona are interested this summer.

When asked about the reports, Ten Hag dismissed them completely, explaining why United has no intention of selling Fernandes.

“It’s the same question as last week, so I answered the same answer,” Ten Hag told reporters on Tuesday afternoon during a pre-match press conference.

“Now in all the years he was, he was a tremendously important player for Manchester United and creating the most chances across the Premier League. So many assists, so many goals. It’s clear he’s a very important player for us.”

Last week’s comments

In the press conference, Ten Hag referenced an answer he gave last week regarding a report that claimed INEOS were open to selling almost any player this summer with the exception of Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Højlund, and Alejandro Garnacho.

“It’s a joke,” Ten Hag said in reply to the claim. “As long as I’ve worked, every summer, every window, I think 200 players are getting interest from Manchester United.

“We did some research which was untrue, and also, every summer, we sell all of the players in our squad, which you make all of the headlines which are untrue.

“Be calm and take some responsibility when you make such a headline. Find a good source if there is some truth in it, and this is totally crap.”

What Fernandes said

“I’m not thinking about other things at the moment,” Fernandes said when asked if there was any chance he could leave United and the Premier League a few weeks ago.

“Obviously, it doesn’t just depend on me, does it? A player always has to want to be here, but at the same time, you have to want him to stay. At the moment, I feel there’s that on both sides.

“I’m not thinking too much about the future, not least because, obviously, this season hasn’t been at the level I’d hoped for, either individually or collectively, so far. We could still end the season by winning the cup. After that, we have a very important Euros coming up.

“So, if you want me to be very honest, if I have to think about not continuing in the Premier League, it won’t be until after the EUROs because nothing will be able to take my focus away from the FA Cup final and the EUROs, as there’s nothing more important than that at the moment.”