Bruno Fernandes has conducted an interview where he has spoken in detail about his rumoured departure from Manchester United during the summer transfer window.
During the summer transfer window, it was heavily rumoured that Bruno Fernandes could leave Manchester United, as the Portuguese maestro was being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Despite the transfer talk, United’s star man stayed and has since been in fantastic form for Ruben Amorim’s side, including three goals and two assists in his last two Premier League matches.
This has taken Fernandes’ tally up to five goals and seven assists in his 16 league fixtures so far. Not only has he been valuable with his goal contributions, but Fernandes has also only missed eight minutes of top-flight football across these 16 games.
Fans of the Reds will surely be glad that their Captain stayed put in the summer, as he has been pivotal in helping them reach sixth in the table. Fernandes has revealed how close he came to a summer departure.
Fernandes’ bombshell interview
When speaking to Portuguese Football Federation channel Canal 11, via The Guardian, Fernandes was asked about whether he received any offers from Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
“Nowadays, the issue of loyalty is no longer seen the way it used to be,” he said. “I could have left in the last transfer window and would have earned a lot more money. Financially, it would have been much better for me.
“At one point, I was going to leave – I won’t say where – but I would have won many trophies that season. I decided to stay not only for family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club.
“The conversation with the coach also made me stay. But from the club’s side, I felt a bit of: ‘If you go, it’s not really that bad for us.’ That hurts me a little. More than hurting, it makes me sad, because I’m a player they have nothing to criticise me for.
“I’m always available for every match, I always play, whether well or badly. I give my maximum. Then you look around you and see players who don’t value the club as much as you do and who don’t defend the club as much. That makes you sad.”
Fernandes on a future move
United’s Captain carried on by saying, “The club went through difficult times, and I could have done what many people do and said: ‘I want to leave the club, 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’.
“And maybe I would have gone to a better club or earned more money. But I never did that. I never felt in a position to do so, because I felt the empathy and affection I had for the club were mutual.
“I think that empathy can exist, but there comes a point where money is more important than you. The club wanted me to leave – 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 to stay.
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“If I had said I wanted to leave, even with the manager wanting me to stay, they would have let me go. Financially, I can’t complain – I’m paid very well. Obviously, the difference is enormous, but that was never what guided me – if one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I will play in Saudi Arabia.
“My lifestyle will change, my children’s lives will have sun, after six years in Manchester with cold and rain. I’ll be playing in a growing league, with players who are internationally recognised.”
Fernandes remains vital to United’s plans, despite the summer rumours, and it appears he is still pivotal to Amorim’s system, with the club making it clear that they still value him as an integral part of their future.
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