Monumental Man Utd agreement reached as Wilcox ‘banishes all uncertainty’ around club’s best player | OneFootball

Manchester United are now understood to be convinced that Bruno Fernandes is here to stay, and the captain will not leave Old Trafford this summer after Jason Wilcox made the club’s intentions clear, with the news likely to end speculation of a move to one of four interested suitors.

The Portuguese star is among the favourites to be named Footballer of the Year after another absolutely stellar season with Manchester United. With 18 assists to his name, Fernandes needs just two more from the club’s remaining five league games to sit alongside Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne on 20 – the most ever accrued across a single season.

The fact of the matter is, Fernandes has been United’s best player for many a season and ranks as comfortably their best signing in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era, making his £47.5m (€55m) arrival from Sporting CP in January 2020 one of the club’s greatest-ever signings.

Now 31, Fernandes shows no signs of slowing up – and it’s easy to understand why there has been strong interest in his services in recent times.

Indeed, Fernandes appeared likely to quit Old Trafford at the end of the season when more reports surfaced of his discontent back in December. And with our transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, revealing back in November that big efforts were likely to arrive from Saudi Arabia to secure his services.

And in recent weeks, there have been reports of interest from Bayern Munich, PSG and Galatasaray, who would all gleefully snap the player up if the opportunity arose.

However, Michael Carrick has made it clear that Fernandes – a player he describes as “fantastic” and still one who “has a huge impact” – must be retained.

Now, according to The Sun, Wilcox has held clear the air talks with the United captain and has ‘moved to banish any uncertainty’ around his future in M16.

Furthermore, it’s claimed that director of football Wilcox has stressed that the club ‘do not want him to leave under any circumstances’ ahead of the summer window.

As a result of that, there is now a belief that Fernandes has been convinced to stay, while recent comments made by the star also lend to him extending his time at Old Trafford.

Man Utd optimistic of keeping Bruno Fernandes

Per journalist Samuel Luckhurst, there is now a confidence that Fernandes is settled at Old Trafford, and the club’s impending qualification for the Champions League shows him the club is moving in the right direction under Carrick.

Furthermore, the talk from Wilcox is believed to have contributed to the star’s much-improved form over the second half of the season.

“United were spurred into action after Fernandes told Portuguese broadcasters Canal 11 in December that he was ‘hurt’ by the club’s willingness to cash in on him. Fernandes was told by United’s decision-makers that the club want him to be at the centre of a successful United side,” Luckhurst said.

“United sources believe the mid-season approach has partially contributed to Fernandes’ fabulous form…[and] the Portugal international has expressed his happiness at United in recent weeks, and the club hierarchy believe his future should be assured with Champions League qualification.”

A happy and thriving Fernandes has certainly played his part for United. Restored, generally speaking, to a more advanced role under Carrick, his incredible run of assists has significantly benefited the team.

The player himself has also recently indicated his happiness with the club, telling North American outlet Men In Blazers that his family feels settled in Manchester, having lived there since 2020.

“I feel at home at Manchester, my kids feel at home here,” said Fernandes. “So it’s wonderful for me to be in a place where my kids can enjoy so much and feel so much at home as they do in Manchester.

“I felt Mancunian until I heard my kids speaking English and having the accent, then I understand that I’m not as much as they are.”

Carrick himself has also made no secret of his desire for Fernandes to stay at Old Trafford this summer and beyond.

“In terms of the club and moving forward, it’s difficult for me to get involved in too much of that,” he said about the player last month.

“Bruno’s definitely not someone we’d want to lose, I can say that. He’s important for us, and he’s definitely one we wouldn’t want to lose.

“Bruno has done it for a long period of time now, in the big moments and making the difference, whether scoring or creating, he’s normally around it. He has a really good understanding with Case [Casemiro] and is working with Jonny [Evans] on the set plays.

“There’s also the bit you can coach, and then there’s a little bit of the players and the understanding. They’ve got a great connection there with that.

“Then the passing around it, getting in positions where you can play that final pass, so there’s not a lot else to say that I’ve not sat here and said before about Bruno.”

United need new midfielders to further unleash Bruno Fernandes

The task for United now looks to be in signing one, and potentially two, new midfielders to play behind him in the United engine room.

The club’s No.1 choice is widely understood to be Elliot Anderson, and Fabrizio Romano recently revealed the conversations United had held at trying to win that particular race – an ambition fuelled by UCL qualification.

In addition to him, United have on Thursday also been linked with a move for a €50m Brazilian midfielder amid claims that a three-way ‘auction’ has exploded.

That link comes after we last week exclusively revealed tentative interest in Leeds’ Ao Tanaka, though any move on their rivals was always going to be problematic, and looks doubly difficult now the Japanese star has played his way back into Daniel Farke’s plans.