Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes is at the top of Al-Hilal’s wishlist before the Club World Cup begins on June 14, as he is one of the biggest names in the Premier League and vital to Man United being both on the precipice of the Europa League Final and avoiding further embarrassment in the Premier League.
Al-Hilal’s interest as turned the focus on Manchester United and if they want to cash in on an attacking midfielder who is now 30 years old and could churn the Red Devils a tidy profit, with the club already having a top prospect in the same position in Alejandro Garnacho.
But former Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim isn’t interested in parting ways with Fernandes. He maintained his interest in building his short-term project around Bruno, stating, via mufcmpb, “Bruno Fernandes is clearly one of the top players in the world. Our idea hasn’t changed: we want to keep Bruno here.”
Fernandes is Man United’s captain and currently has eight goals, nine assists, and 2.5 key passes per game as he continues to be one of the finest playmakers in European football. And with seven goals in 12 Europa League matches, he’s been crucial at coming up with big goals in big games.
Ruben Amorim doesn’t have the most influence
The thing is, Manchester United’s manager may have a vested interest in keeping Fernandes, but, ultimately, he doesn’t have the final say in this matter, even if he would like to think he does.
Manchester United are moving away from a model in which they give a revolving door of managers the most say on which players stay and go, because it’s led to marked instability and some abysmal transfer decisions, with Erik ten Hag standing out as a particular low point in this regard.
With the poor results Manchester United have gotten in the early run of Amorim’s tenure, there’s no real goodwill or reason to back Amorim’s opinion. He hasn’t shown that he even has a track record at the top level of European football, so why make him the sporting director and CEO, too?
But Manchester United will value the opinion of their manager, especially since it’s not controversial at all to want to keep the team’s most productive player and main leader.
The thing is, Fernandes has a say, too. He’s heading for one last payday in his career, and Manchester United, even if they win the Europa League this year, ultimately aren’t going to the top any time soon.
So with Al-Hilal offering what appears to be a 200 million euro contract in wages over three years, Fernandes has the opportunity to make serious bank before his career ends and accomplish other goals in a league with less pressure.
The decision doesn’t rest with Amorim at any level. He has some influence, but the more he and the media talk about this situation, the more they inflate his purpose, influence, and even ego to Ten Hag levels, showing that many around Manchester United don’t quite understand the situation.
Meanwhile, those actually in charge at the club will look at Fernandes’s age, actual transfer value, and the wage differential and see that for the right offer and if Bruno wants to go, they may not be so against the idea of the player moving to Al-Hilal.
Joe Soriano covers Tottenham for FanSided’s Hotspur HQ and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.