Bruno Fernandes makes surprise Man Utd transfer admission | OneFootball

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has admitted that he had offers to leave the club last summer before signing a new contract.

Fernandes was the subject of widespread transfer rumours last summer, with the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain tipped to be monitoring the divisive playmaker. After captaining United to a shock FA Cup final victory, the Portugal international penned a new deal extending his stay at Old Trafford until the summer of 2027.

However, it wasn't an entirely straightforward process. "I sat with the club because I had an offer to leave," Fernandes revealed this week. "We talked about the possibility of me leaving the club or staying. They said what they wanted from me. I just asked if they still see me as part of the future of the club or not."

Erik ten Hag was still in charge of United at the time and had been surprisingly handed a new contract himself earlier that summer - an offer which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has subsequently described as an "error".

"I spoke at the time with Ten Hag also," Fernandes continued. "He was very clear with me, the club was very clear with me, that they thought I would be a big part of this rebuild. I thought that we could be successful."

While the decision to keep Ten Hag was swiftly and expensively aborted, Fernandes has repeatedly proven why persuading him to stay was such a coup for United. However, the captain - who underscored his quality with a hat-trick against Real Sociedad on Thursday night - is not universally adored.

Bruno Fernandes responds to scathing Roy Keane comments

Roy Keane has never been slow to tear into Bruno Fernandes / Richard Sellers/Allstar/GettyImages

Roy Keane spent 13 trophy-laden years patrolling Manchester United's midfield and has dedicated almost as much time to criticising his former employers. Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford have all sparked simmering tirades from the former Ireland international, but few players inspire quite as much ire as Fernandes.

The club's current skipper was recently derided by his predecessor, who insisted: "Bruno's not a fighter."

United head coach Ruben Amorim staunchly defended Fernandes but the player himself took a less combative stance. "Roy Keane was an amazing captain for the club, one of the best as everyone says," the 30-year-old gushed. "I didn't have the chance to see much from him, only the last few years, but he was a great player that won everything for the club. He's massively respected from everyone and has all my respect.

"He has to give his opinion in a programme and this is what he thinks about me.

"I don't want to copy anyone. I try to be the best captain that I can for my teammates and help everyone in the best way I know."

Despite hailing Fernandes as the "perfect captain", Amorim did point out some room for improvement. "We know that sometimes he is frustrated," the head coach admitted. "We know he wants to win so badly and when things are not going well, he is changing position and going after the ball. Sometimes he needs to trust his teammates."