Bruno Fernandes rejects big-money move from Manchester United in Saudi Arabia – ‘I was still part of the plan’

The midfielder was given the chance to join Al Hilal in the summer and has reportedly been offered a contract worth £1 million a week.

The fee United received could reach £100m, and is thought to exceed the £89m paid by Real Madrid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

However, the United captain revealed how post-season discussions with head coach Ruben Amorim were integral to his decision to remain at the club.

“And I always said that if the club were in a situation where they were like, ‘Bruno, we want to make money, you’re 30 years old, we want to make money, we don’t think you can be part of future projects’, then I would have to find the best solution for me and my family myself and I would leave. But obviously that wasn’t the case.

“I still felt like I was part of the plan and could help the club achieve whatever our goals were and that’s what made me stay.”

‘I think he wants to stay’ – Amorim downplays Fernandes speculation amid Saudi transfer talk

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The midfielder also spoke with sporting director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berada, who confirmed they are focused on investing in new signings rather than selling valuable assets.

This was supported by the summer arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Brian Mbeumo, Senne Lamence and Benjamin Sesko.

“They always told me they wanted to buy, to strengthen the team, to get players,” Fernandes explained.

“The coach told me, ‘No, we don’t want you to leave because we need more players to make us a better team. Because if we bring in some guys and then lose you, we’re still going to lose something.’

Hargreaves explains how ‘best number 10 in the division’ Fernandes is holding him back

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The 31-year-old has also revealed his long-term goals at the club and will not discuss his future at all until after the World Cup.

He continued: “Everyone knows that my goal is to win the Premier League and the Champions League with the club. That’s my goal and the club’s goal. That’s the truth.”

“From my side, it hasn’t been talked about, because my agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me it will be after the World Cup, because until then he doesn’t talk to anyone,” he said.

When asked about Al Hilal’s reaction to the rejection of the offer, he added: “It’s clear that they were not very happy that I rejected the offer. The offer was very good in terms of salary, so I accepted it. Everything was big for me. It made a big difference.”

Amorim praises Fernandes as ‘great leader’

Ruben Amorim waxed lyrical about Fernandes’ qualities as Manchester United captain.

He explained that his impression of Fernandes changed as he worked with him on a daily basis.

“It’s a bit different to what I was expecting,” Amorim said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Brighton.

“Everything you read about a player, sometimes it’s not, sometimes it’s understandable and I’ve already talked about that.

“The frustration he feels, his teammates, sometimes it’s not the best way, but it comes from a good place and you don’t know that unless you’re here.

“He always wants responsibility. He suffered a lot in defeat. Every time we don’t win a game, you can feel that he takes it personally, as you should as a captain. He’s a great leader and a great football player.”

Amorim praises Manchester United’s ‘spirit’ in ‘big win’ over ‘biggest rivals’ Liverpool

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Looking ahead to the match against Brighton, Amorim also highlighted how a close score against Liverpool worked in United’s favor as they thrashed their arch-rivals last Sunday.

As the Reds neared a point at Anfield, Amorim gestured with his hand and said, “If Gakpo could hit a 20cm shot here, the story would be completely different.”

“I doubt whether you are the manager of this kind of club. If you don’t win many games, people will doubt you.

“My view is that we need to be clear about our path and we don’t need to change much just because we won one game.”