âI turned down offer to leave Man Utd in summerâ
Bruno Fernandes is the perfect captain â Amorim
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Published
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes says he could have left the club last summer.
The 30-year-old was Unitedâs hero on Thursday night, scoring a hat-trick as they beat Real Sociedad to move into a Europa League quarter-final with Lyon.
He was also singled out for praise by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in an interview with BBC Sport on Monday.
But Fernandes said there had been an offer to sign him in the summer and heâd held talks with the club about his future.
âI sat with the club because I had an offer to leave,â he said. âWe talked about the possibility of me leaving the club or staying.
âThey said what they wanted from me. I just asked if they still see me as part of the future of the club or not. I spoke at the time with (Erik) Ten Hag also.
âHe 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.â
The Portugal international now has 15 goals this season. None of his team-mates have got into double figures.
In a campaign that has been bad enough for United, who are 14th in the Premier League and on the brink of their worst domestic campaign since the 1973-74 relegation season, it is not hard to imagine the strife they would have been in had talks with Fernandes in the summer taken a different turn amid interest from Bayern Munich among others.
After Ten Hag was sacked in October, Fernandesâ fellow countryman Ruben Amorim came in as replacement â but a bleak situation has got no better.
Last month legendary former captain Roy Keane blasted Fernandes, saying âtalent is not enoughâ and that he was not âa fighterâ.
Even Amorim, in the wake of Fernandesâ Europa League exploits said his captain needs to âtrustâ his team-mates more.
âRoy Keane was an amazing captain for the club, one of the best as everyone says,â said Fernandes.
âI didnât 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. Heâs massively respected from everyone and has all my respect.
âHe has to give his opinion in a programme and this is what he thinks about me.
âI donât want to copy anyone. I try to be the best captain that I can for my team-mates and help everyone in the best way I know.â
âWe canât relax at this clubâ

Manchester United paid Sporting ÂŁ47m for Bruno Fernandes in January 2020
The Europa League remains a route back into the Champions League for United despite their poor season.
Fernandes, who is under contract until 2027, says he wants to stay at Old Trafford for as long as they are competing for trophies.
He said: âWe canât relax at this club. We need to prove ourselves every day in training and every day that we have a game.
âIâm in the same boat as my team-mates. It doesnât matter how much you do, how much you score, how much you assist⊠Itâs about the team.
âIâm very happy at the club. Obviously, I want to win trophies. I want to be in the biggest competitions, I want to fight for the big trophies. Thatâs what I said to the club. Thatâs what the club said to me that they want to do.â
Ratcliffe said this week some players he has inherited are ânot good enoughâ and âoverpaidâ.
Midfielder Casemiro, striker Rasmus Hojlund, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho â who are on loan at other clubs â were namechecked by the billionaire in an interview with BBC Sport.
Fernandes said: âI donât think any player likes to hear criticism or things that are talked about to you, that youâre not good enough or youâre overpaid or whatever.
âBut everyone has their own contract. The club agrees to the contracts and itâs about proving that you can be important for the club.â
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Published26 July 2022
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