Like Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes made a mistake in believing that football was an individual story, rather than a collective spirit.
In a frank interview with the media, Fernandes admitted he was "heartbroken" when Manchester United were ready to let him leave in the summer of 2025. At the end of last season, Al Hilal, representative of the Saudi Pro League, was willing to spend £100 million on transfer fees and a salary of nearly £750,000 per week to bring the Portuguese midfielder to Riyadh.
At that time, the "Red Devils" were said to have full authority to decide the future for Bruno Fernandes. The Old Trafford side are yet to qualify for the European Cup after their defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final and are only 15th in the Premier League. The financial situation was seriously affected, causing even Bruno Fernandes to be sold if he received the right price.
No one can confirm whether Man United will be stronger or weaker if Bruno Fernandes is parted ways, or the departure of the captain will become a blow that will further decline the club. However, Man United's business-related and long-term decision when listening to offers for former Sporting CP players was viewed by Bruno Fernandes as a denial of his contributions to the team.
Bruno Fernandes continues to shine for Man United, but perhaps the club would be better if he moved to Al Hilal last summer.
"I feel like the club is saying, 'If you leave, it won't affect us much.' That made me sad. Not only sad but also really heartbroken.
The club wanted me to leave, I remember that very well. I spoke to the board, but I thought they were not brave enough to make a decision because the coach wanted me to stay. If I say I want to leave, even if the coach wants me to stay, they will still let me go" - the Portuguese player said.
Bruno Fernandes' statements are similar to Salah's complaints earlier this month, when the Egyptian striker thought he had been "abandoned" by Liverpool and that he "derated" to play. Neither Salah nor Fernandes have fully recognized the problem.
Salah was left out due to a decline in form that forced coach Arne Slot to make a strong decision. Man United are willing to sell Bruno Fernandes because the team has just had the worst season in Premier League history, and parting ways with the captain could help quickly resolve financial problems.
Bruno Fernandes is Man United's best player at the moment and is still in top form. This was clearly demonstrated through the beautiful goal from the free kick in the 4-4 draw with Bournemouth in the Premier League. However, many teams continue to develop, even more successful, after parting ways with their biggest stars.
At Old Trafford alone, even greater names than Bruno Fernandes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Eric Cantona all left, before being replaced by successors who brought home Premier League and Champions League titles.
If Bruno Fernandes leaves Old Trafford this summer, that departure will certainly leave a big void. After joining M.U from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, he has scored 103 goals and had 93 assists in 307 appearances. If he had played for a more stable and successful team during that time, Bruno Fernandes would have probably won big trophies worthy of his performance.
However, despite being still the first name in Amorim's squad, Fernandes is not irreplaceable. His departure could even be a necessary step back for Man United to move forward.
This is just a hypothesis, but with an additional £100 million to spend in the summer, Man United can completely recruit one or two quality central midfielders. The targets they are targeting are Carlos Baleba (Brighton), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) and Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest).
With two of those players in Amorim's squad, along with Matheus Cunha or Mason Mount playing as the number 10, it can be argued that Man United will be more balanced and stronger than at present.
