Ivan Toney has responded to Bruno Fernandes saying that he wants to continue playing at the highest level rather than moving to Saudi Arabia.
Bruno Fernandes has rejected a massive offer from Al-Hilal that would have made him one of the highest-paid players in football history.
The Saudi Pro League giants were prepared to offer the 30-year-old a staggering £700,000 per week and submit a bid of up to £100 million to Manchester United.
However, after holding discussions with his family and those at Old Trafford, Fernandes decided to remain at the club for the upcoming season.
Speaking during a Portuguese press conference, the United midfielder explained how he wants to continue playing at the ‘highest level’ in Europe.
Toney hits back at Fernandes’ Saudi claim
While Fernandes was able to turn down such an outrageous offer, not every player is the same. Ivan Toney left Brentford last year to join Al-Ahli and is now reportedly earning over £400,000-per-week.
Still in the England squad, Toney has hit back at Fernandes’ comments suggesting that the Saudi Pro League is not the highest level, stating that the United player ‘obviously hasn’t seen the league’.
Speaking to talkSPORT about Fernandes’ decision to snub the Saudi offer, Toney said: “Well, that’s his decision, he maybe thinks differently to me.
“He obviously hasn’t seen the league, I respect his decision. And I can’t say much more than that. It’s up to him.”
When asked more about the standard of the Saudi Pro League on Sky Sports, the striker added: “Everyone has their opinion on everything but you can’t have an opinion on something you’ve never seen. People just assume without seeing it.
“It’s tough, it’s not easy. There’s some good footballers and it’s going in the right direction. I’m sure it’s going to continue to do that over the years.”
Fernandes is only getting better
Fernandes might be approaching the age of 31 but he has just had one of his best individual seasons and is showing no signs of slowing down.
He led Portugal to victory against Germany in the Nations League semi-final this week and there is no way he should be leaving for somewhere like Saudi Arabia so early in his career.
Of course, no one could have blamed him if he decided to make that move due to the money involved, but it would have been a massive shame to see such a good player leave Europe while he’s still at his best.
Those at Old Trafford now need to make sure that he is supported with a good team around him, and hopefully United can make the most out of having such a top player leading them on the pitch for longer.
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