Manchester United beat Brighton 4-2 in the Premier League on Saturday night to claim victory in their third game and captain Bruno Fernandes celebrated his 300th appearance for the club.
Jeremy joined the Daily Star in 2010 as Manchester football correspondent and has been chief sports writer for over 10 years. He provides expert coverage of Manchester United and Manchester City, the entire Premier League and English football teams. Jeremy has covered Wimbledon, golf majors and the Olympics, as well as the soccer, rugby and cricket World Cups.
Bruno Fernandes prioritized his dreams when he decided to turn down an offer from Saudi Arabia. And it’s safe to assume that those aspirations go beyond winning three league games on Manchester United’s spin or finishing in the top half of the table.
Or they may have to go months without watching European football. The variety of the Champions League goes without saying. So a spot in the sun alongside Cristiano Ronaldo would have been appealing.
However, all of the above are the choices Fernandes made before receiving a large sum of Saudi dollars in the summer. And no one would be more grateful to him for that than Reuben Amorim.
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Fernandes could have been forgiven for looking around at the remains of last season at Old Trafford and deciding enough was enough. Fernandes has been bleeding to represent United lately. And he got no reward for it.
The 31-year-old enjoyed his best years at United, scoring 100 goals and providing 84 assists. He has been named Player of the Year four out of five times.
And believe it or not, things could have been even worse for Amorim if it wasn’t for Fernandes. United may have struggled to find form under Amorim, but Fernandes remains a key figure in the team.
And it took the Portuguese less than two minutes to remind people of that fact at Old Trafford on Saturday night. He darted into space and met a cross from Brian Mbeumo, but his header went wide.
Moments later, he was free again and instead of trying to score from an impossible angle, Matheus Cunha tried to pounce on him with a cross. Fernandez once again led the show. Direct traffic. His intelligent passing puts colleagues like Amad Diallo and Mbeumo in threatening positions.
And with his 300th appearance for United on the horizon, he is determined to celebrate the milestone in style.
Chirping in the ears of referee Anthony Taylor and his teammates. Taylor missed the most blatant penalty possible, especially when Maxim de Kuiper tripped Amad inside the box.
Forget that Fernandes is too good to grace the Saudi Pro League, because at times he looks too good to remain in this United team.
When United were looking to sign Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in 2019, the club’s head of recruitment showed footage at a meeting in Lisbon of the midfielder kicking down the dressing room door after being sent off against Boavista.
Then-CEO Ed Woodward “loved” the passion in the case. He thought that was what United needed and he was proven right as Fernandes was one of the best players the club had ever signed during his time in management. His passion was on display when he ran up to Cunha and patted him on the chest to celebrate the Brazilian’s opening goal.
Representing United still means a lot to him. I can’t tell anyone else that I recently wore the famous red shirt. However, there is no getting away from the fact that there is still a risk that Fernandes will not be able to fulfill his potential at Old Trafford.
He spent almost six years there, winning just two domestic cups. He has never sniffed winning a Premier League title or a Champions League title. This is not enough for someone of his caliber.
And it’s hard to see this changing.
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Fernandes insists he will not discuss a new contract with United until after next summer’s World Cup. But United’s leaders should not give him any choice in the matter.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was watching this win over Brighton, but he won’t have to wait too long.
Just give Fernandes what he wants. he’s worth it.
Because if Fernandes doesn’t press the button, while United’s slim chance of winning something big will disappear, Saudi Arabia won’t disappear.
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