Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes has revealed that the Red Devils wanted to sell him in the summer but the board lacked the “courage” to do a deal.
The Portuguese midfielder scored an incredible free-kick as Man Utd were held to a thrilling 4-4 draw by Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday night.
Fernandes has often been the bright spark in a miserable few years for the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim.
However, even Fernandes has been off form for Man Utd at times this term despite still providing five goals and seven assists in the Premier League.
There was talk in the summer that Man Utd were keen to offload Fernandes as they looked to raise funds to overhaul their squad under Amorim.
And now Fernandes has revealed that Al-Hilal attempted to sign him over the summer and that it wasn’t the first time the Saudi Pro League club had made an approach.
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Fernandes said via Maisfutebol: “The president of Al Hilal spoke to me. He called me directly. Neves sent me a message saying he wanted to talk to me. They wanted him to play in the Club World Cup with Al Hilal. It was a love that started back in the Jorge Jesus days, he had already called me in 2023.”
The Man Utd captain insisted a move to Saudi Arabia had been tempting but maintained he didn’t push for a transfer despite the feeling that the Man Utd hierarchy wanted to sell him.
Fernandes added: “I can’t complain, I’m very well paid, but obviously the difference is huge. That was never what guided me. If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I’ll play in Saudi Arabia.”
“My lifestyle will change, my children’s lives will be sunny, after six years in Manchester with cold and rain, I’ll be playing in a growing league, with recognised players.”
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“I could have left like many people do and said: ‘I want to leave, I don’t want to train, I just want to leave for €20m or €30m, so they pay me more on the other side.’ But I never did that. I never felt in a position to do that, because I felt that the empathy and affection I had for the club were the same.”
“But there comes a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go; I have that in my head. I told the directors this, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision.”
“I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club. The conversation with the manager also made me stay. But, from the club’s side, I felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’”
“It hurts me a lot. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player they have nothing to criticize about. I’m always available, I always play, good or bad. I give my all. Then you see things around you, players who don’t value the club as much and don’t defend the club as much… that makes you sad.”
There were rumours last week that Man Utd are ‘increasingly open to cashing in on’ Fernandes, and that they could sell him to Saudi Arabia ‘for around £70m’.
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