Selling Bruno Fernandes Will Cripple Manchester United

For Manchester United, selling Bruno Fernandes would be madness.

He has been the club’s best player since he signed five years ago, and although he is now 30 years old, dispensing of him now would be suicidal.

The list of successful Manchester United transfers in the past decade is staggeringly small; in fact, only Fernandes has arrived at Old Trafford and elevated his game to new levels.

That becomes even more remarkable when you look at how those who’ve left Old Trafford this season have performed.

Scott McTominay has just been named Serie A player of the year, leading Napoli to the title. Marcus Rashford is back in the England team after excelling for Aston Villa. Even Antony is being singled out for praise by his club captain at Real Betis, Isco.

So, for the club to be entertaining flogging, the one man who has bucked that trend is baffling.

Sure, a fee well over $100 million for a player whose peak years are ahead of him is excellent value, but the vacuum it would create at a time when pillars of leadership are required would do untold damage.

Fernandes’ winning the club’s Player of the Year award four years in a row is both a credit to his performances and an indictment of the weaknesses surrounding him.

You’d be hard-pressed to name any other contender for the award since the Portuguese star has been at the club.

His manager is not keen on the idea either. Asked by journalists about the possibility of his captain departing, Ruben Amorim said: “I think he wants to stay. He is saying ‘no’ to a lot of things, but it shows that he wants to win, and he is really good and needs to be in the best league in the world.

“Of course, I am the manager, the coach, but sometimes it is the decision of the player, but of course, I talk with him, I explain things, and I just have that feeling. When you talk to someone, you have that feeling that he wants to stay.

“Of course, in a lot of games this season he was so frustrated, but he knows what we are doing. The feeling that I have every time I speak to him is he wants to continue for sure at Man Utd. But you never know.”

Asked whether the club could afford to reject a reported $134 million bid from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, who are keen to sign the midfielder before the Club World Cup.

His response was, “Yes, [we can turn down a $134 million bid], we can find another way to earn money. “

Amorim’s words did little to quell the murmurs within the media that Fernandes was pondering whether to make the switch.

However, one journalist is convinced by the Manchester United manager’s words: Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol.

“I think Bruno Fernandes is staying,” he said after the press conference.

“I just watched Ruben Amorim there and he would have been told by his media handlers that ‘you’re going to be asked about this story, it’s a massive story – just play it with a straight bat and say he’s a Manchester United player and he’s got two years left on his contract, I’m not going to talk about media speculation.’

“He didn’t do that, he came out and he gave us quite a lot.

“You could tell he’s spoken to Bruno Fernandes and Fernandes has said to him, ‘I’ve got this incredible offer, it’s like I’ve won EuroMillions, £200m over three years. This is life-changing money boss but you know I’m not motivated by money. I love football, I love Manchester United’.

“I think he’s sat down and spoken to Ruben Amorim and he’s told him he is an integral part of the rebuild at Manchester United. I think he’s happy to stay.”

Solhekol pointed out that the Saudi Arabian club had a lot of reasons to try and force a move for Fernandes to happen.

“The clock is ticking for Al Hilal because they are playing in the Club World Cup,” he added.

“They don’t have a head coach, they’ve been trying to sign (Cristiano) Ronaldo, they’ve been trying to sign Bruno Fernandes, they’re trying to get Simone Inzaghi out of Inter.

“There is a lot going on at Al Hilal because they are flying the flag for Saudi Arabia at the Club World Cup. But looking at Ruben Amorim today I think it’s pretty clear and final that Bruno Fernandes is going to stay.”

Manchester United supporters will pray that’s the case.