Bruno Fernandes has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for some years and will evaluate his future after the World Cup.
Last summer, Bruno Fernandes was heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, following reports of a release clause in his contract that could have seen him prized away from Manchester United. But after talks with the club, Fernandes remained at the club and was a key player under Rúben Amorim.
For Amorim, Fernandes played in the double pivot alongside Casemiro, but has returned to his more natural No.10 role under Darren Fletcher and now Michael Carrick, too.
The United captain has been crucial to the club for several years, but somehow, he appears to have become even more important with Carrick at the helm. Since the Manchester derby – Carrick’s first match – Fernandes has registered two goals and eight assists, with him now on track to break the Premier League assist record.
With Casemiro already confirmed to be leaving the club at the end of the season, losing Fernandes would be disastrous for the new head coach and the club as a whole.
United’s fresh Fernandes stance
Last summer, it seemed United were ready to sell Fernandes and prepare for life without him. “There was a Plan A and a Plan B in the transfer market with and without Bruno and United’s execs seemed very comfortable if he was to go,” said Nathan Salt for The Daily Mail.
“That has shifted drastically now to the point where they have made it crystal clear to Fernandes that they are desperate for him to stay and a new, improved contract could be on the way, too.”
United’s new Fernandes stance could lead to talks before the start of the World Cup in June, but it seems the captain will assess his situation after the competition, as reported by The Daily Mail.
CEO Omar Berrada will be looking to secure a permanent head coach to speed talks up with the United captain, and that could be Michael Carrick.
On Carrick, Salt said: “He is absolutely behaving in the way you would expect a manager to when they believe they are staying beyond the end of the campaign.
“Roberto De Zerbi is still well liked but third and a return to Champions League would be a huge boost to Carrick’s prospects.
“I now think it WILL be Carrick.”
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How good is Bruno Fernandes?
“Honestly a sublime player. People ask me who’s the best player (I’ve coached) and one of them has got to be Scholes, but he’s just similar,” said former assistant manager Steve McLaren on Bruno Fernandes.
“I would say Bruno [Fernandes], of course,” said Leny Yoro when asked about the best player he has ever played with.
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Fernandes is a lot more than just a good footballer. He is the best that has worn the red United shirt in many, many years. He is unquestionably the best signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United era. And United would be lost without him.
The day Fernandes leaves Old Trafford will be a sad, sad day for all United fans. And Premier League fans. In the days of set-pieces and boring football we see today, Fernandes is a shining light of the former dynamos we used to see in the Premier League.
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