Bruno Fernandes: “United wanted to sell me, but didn’t have the courage” | OneFootball

Fernandes’ interview has shocked many (Image: Gettyimages)

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has shocked the club’s fans by giving an explosive interview claiming the Old Trafford hierarchy wanted to sell him in the summer, but lacked the courage to go through with it.

Speaking to the Portuguese Football Federation’s channel Canal 11, Fernandes gave some astonishingly honest and direct quotes about his current status at the club. The midfielder was strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia towards the end of last season, but ultimately stayed largely due to manager Ruben Amorim convincing him of his role with the Red Devils.

However, according to Fernandes, people higher up at the club would have preferred him to have left to join Jorge Jesus’ Al Hilal ahead of last summer’s Club World Cup. The extracts from the interview have sent shockwaves throughout the fanbase, particularly given the level of detail and sentiment behind Fernandes’ revelations.

“You’re not valued so much unless you win trophies, regardless of the club and league you’re in,” Fernandes began. “I was valued, and what values ​​me most has to be my club, although lately I feel like I’m on thin ice. In England, when a player starts approaching 30, they start thinking they need a makeover. It’s like the furniture.

“The issue of loyalty isn’t viewed the same way it used to be. I could have left in the last transfer window, I would have earned much more money. I was going to leave a season ago – I won’t say where – but I would have won many trophies that season. I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely love the club.

“The club wanted me to go” 

“The conversation with the manager also made me stay. But, from the club’s side, I felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’ It hurts me a bit. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player who has nothing to criticise. I’m always available, I always play, good or bad. I give my all. Then, you see things around you, players who don’t value the club as much and don’t defend the club as much… that makes you sad.

"The person who spoke to me was the president of Al Hilal, who called me directly. Rúben Neves sent me a message saying he wanted to talk to me. They wanted me to play in the Club World Cup with Al Hilal. It was an appreciation that came from the Jorge Jesus era, he had already called me in 2023.

“I can’t complain, I’m very well paid, but obviously the difference is incredible. That was never what guided me. If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I’ll play in Saudi Arabia. My lifestyle will change, my children’s lives will be sunny, after six years in Manchester with cold and rain, I’ll be playing in a growing league, with renowned players.

“I could have left like many people do and said: ‘I want to leave, 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.’ But I never did that. I never felt in a position to do it, because I felt that the empathy and affection I had for the club were the same.

“But it gets to a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go, 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. If I had said I wanted to leave, they would have let me go.”

The quotes come the day after United drew 4-4 with Bournemouth, during which Fernandes scored a stunning free-kick, but the outlet chosen and the timing suggest the interview’s release was planned. Unsurprisingly, the content has flooded the British football media, leading many to ask whether Fernandes could be in line for a departure from Old Trafford as early as the January transfer window.

By Sean Gillen