3 hours ago
4
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes says he will not discuss his future with anyone until after next year's World Cup.
The 31-year-old will make his 300th appearance for United on Saturday, as the club attempt to end a run of three successive home defeats.
It is an achievement made more remarkable by the fact that Fernandes has missed just 17 games since his £47m move from Sporting in January 2020 - and only three of those were because of injury or illness.
The Portuguese rejected a huge offer from Al-Hilal in the summer, then dismissed subsequent interest elsewhere from the Saudi Pro League and Europe.
Fernandes knows the rumours about his future won't go away.
Sources close to him have previously told BBC Sport he has no wish to move to Saudi Arabia next summer either, with major European clubs outside the Premier League holding more interest.
It is understood Fernandes' contract - which expires in 2027 with the option of an additional year - includes a clause that would allow him to join a club outside England for £56.68m (€65m) provided it is triggered early enough.
However, Fernandes is not interested in talking about it just yet.
"As I've always said, I feel good here. I want to achieve my dreams still," he said.
"I can't talk for the club. I've seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasn't made with me. I haven't spoken with anyone.
"My agent also knows how I work. If he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Until then, I won't speak to anyone."
Fernandes spoke to a lot of people when Al-Hilal's interest first became public during United's post-season trip to Asia.
Conversations with chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, plus head coach Ruben Amorim, Portugal team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo – who plays in Saudi Arabia - and his family all took place independently.
Everyone accepted the money being talked about, even for one of the Premier League's highest earners, was eye-watering. The fee, expected to be in excess of £100m, would have been a club record sale.
But no-one was pushing Fernandes out. In fact, Amorim was saying quite the opposite.
"He said to me 'No, we want more players to help you to become a better team. If we bring some people and lose you, we're still going to lose something'," Fernandes said of his manager.
His wife Ana was blunt.
"My family feels very well here," Fernandes said. "My kids love to go to school. They love the way they live here, even with the weather.
"Everyone is settled. We say sometimes the house we have here, it feels more like home than the one we have in Portugal.
"The first thing she said was: 'Have you achieved everything you wanted to achieve at the club?' She knows I haven't.
"When I talk about not fulfilling my dreams at the club, it comes a lot from what she said to me."
Less than 24 hours after United's first victory over Liverpool at Anfield since 2016, Fernandes was out on the Carrington training pitches in the pouring rain.
After completing his own gym session he wanted to be out watching his team-mates go through their own punishing session.
When those closest to him say Fernandes is committed to United 'body and soul', this is what they mean.
Supporting colleagues is something he takes seriously in his role, just as personal praise, while good to receive, is not his prime motivation.
"Obviously, I want people to say good things about me," he said. "I would be lying if I say not.
"But I want the team achievements. That's missing in my time at United.
"I haven't been able to give the success this club wants and the success I wanted in my head when I signed.
"My individual performance will put me in some place, but not in the place I want to be.
"I want to win trophies, I want to be recognised by the many good things I did for the club, not just my individual numbers."
United's recruitment strategy has been heavily criticised in recent years, with big-money signings like Antony, Andre Onana and Jadon Sancho among those now playing elsewhere after failing to make a significant impact.
Fernandes feels ability alone is not enough to be a United player.
"At this club we need to sign big characters," he said. "Being a good player is sometimes not enough because of the pressure and attention we get.
"[This summer] we brought in players that are aware of the dimensions of the club.
"Matheus Cunha has that arrogance to say 'give me the ball, I want to play, I want to make things'.
"On the inside, we want this Cunha. We want him to take the risks, to shoot, to take people on, to create. Bryan [Mbeumo] the same.
"Sometimes I get upset with him in training because he's like, one touch more. I say, 'Bryan, you don't need that. You can one touch and shoot. You did that against us when you were at Brentford! You have to make it for us now. The shirts have changed, but you're the same player'."
Much has been made of the competition between Fernandes and homegrown England international Kobbie Mainoo for a spot in the United side.
The elder man doesn't see the situation in quite such linear terms.
"In football nowadays, you have to be able to run," he said. "When I started, I had players with me that could run 6-7km a game and would be top. Nowadays, if you run less than 9-10km, you're really down on your numbers.
"I want to have the best competition to play in my position. I don't think Kobbie is competition because he is very capable of doing what I can do in a different way.
"If you look at the numbers, you might say Bruno is more capable of scoring goals and Kobbie is more capable of taking people on. We're different as players, but we still can give very good things to the team.
"Kobbie is very capable of playing high-level football. He makes me a better player."
