There’s never a dull day at Manchester United but the club captain calling out the board sounds more 2001 Roy Keane than 2025 Bruno Fernandes.
But that is exactly what the Portuguese midfielder has done in an interview conducted while on international duty last month. Fernandes was left “hurt” and “sad” by his belief that the money men at the club wanted to cash in on him when Al Hilal came calling in the summer.
The 31-year-old turned down the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia, in his own words, not only “because of family reasons, but because I genuinely love the club.” Conversations with head coach Ruben Amorim were also part of the decision, with the United boss adamant his compatriot should stay at Old Trafford.
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Fernandes pulled no punches anywhere in the interview, stating he didn’t think the directors had the courage to force him out against his and Amorim’s wishes but that they don’t value him enough despite his enormous contributions to the club.
A constant, consistent threat
If nothing has been lost in translation and this is a fully accurate representation of what happened in the summer, it’s hard for anyone not to agree with Fernandes based on both his performances from the day he arrived at the club in January 2020, and in recent weeks.
He has been United’s best player by far in those six years, topping the charts for both goals (103) and assists (93). He unsurprisingly also leads the way in appearances (307) given he has missed a total of three games for the club through injury.
The chart below shows where he ranks among all central and attacking midfielders with at least 2800 minutes played since the start of the 20/21 Premier League season. As you can see, he ranks second for both goals and assists in the whole league in that time.
Even this season, where United have splurged £200m on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in a full revamp of their frontline, Fernandes has been the go-to man yet again from a much deeper midfield position.
His 12 goal contributions (five goals, seven assists) are five more than Mbeumo and only Erling Haaland (20) has more in the entire Premier League this season. That figure would be higher but for two uncharacteristically missed penalties earlier in the campaign.
The key man in United’s recent relative upturn
United’s recent relative upturn in results has been in no small part due to Fernandes’ stunning form. He has three goals and seven assists from the last nine games and recently became just the fifth player in Premier League history to provide an assist in five consecutive away games.
It’s also no coincidence United have replaced Arsenal as “Set Piece FC” of late. Their 11 goals from dead ball situations are the most in the division and Bruno has supplied six of them in the last two months.
His latest came in the chaotically entertaining 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday night, swinging a corner to the back post for Casemiro to head past the weak hands of Djorde Petrovic.
After their best half of football under Amorim, and arguably in the last three years, United wilted as they have done so often in those times but again it was Fernandes who stepped up to bail them out. His sumptuous free-kick to make it 3-3 was the latest example of both his undeniable talent and clutch gene.
Why United would be wise to reassure Fernandes of his importance
If possible, United will be even more reliant on their captain in the coming weeks with the loss of Mbeumo and Amad to the Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the absence of his midfield partner Casemiro for a very tough trip to the in-form side in the league, Aston Villa.
As fate would have it, Fernandes has scored more goals against the Villains (7) than any other side in his time with United. It would be little surprise if he reminded the board and any other doubters of his value this Sunday.
Fernandes claimed now that he’s over 30, he’s viewed like furniture in need of remodelling or replacing but there’s little sign of wear and tear on a player who would be welcome in the home of any other club in Europe.
Yes, United have financial concerns but Fernandes is worth so much more than any number on a spreadsheet. They would be wise to quickly reassure their modern-day Bryan Robson that he remains the centrepiece of both their present and future.
