Manchester United have agreed terms of a new contract with club captain Bruno Fernandes ahead of the new season. The terms are set to make him one of the highest-paid players at the club.
This agreement is on the back of news that the player was set to leave Old Trafford for Paris Saint-Germain as United tried (and are seemingly failing) to sign Manuel Ugarte. Fernandes has already been given a big role at the club and is now going to earn a salary that matches the responsibility he is bearing.
His current deal expires in 2026 but he has extended it for a further year, which will now see him remain at Old Trafford until 2027, when he will be 33 years old.
The financial remuneration package of the new deal will ensure that the Portugal international walks home with £350,000 weekly, which puts him on the same level as Marcus Rashford. That is approximately a 60 percent increase from what he was reportedly earning until the agreement was struck.
Speaking in May, Fernandes expressed concerns about his future. The former Sporting CP man said: “I feel that the club wants me to be a part of the future, so, as I said always, I don’t want to be a player that the club doesn’t want to have.
“I will be here if the club wants me to be a part of the future. If for some reason they don’t want me, I will go.”
His fears have now been allayed and considering the fact that INEOS is initiating cost-cutting measures across the club – including the squad – this is a big statement from them to the player.
Fernandes is getting ready to welcome two new additions to Man United as captain following the club’s acquisition of Bayern Munich duo Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs De Ligt. However, a former captain of the club, Paul Scholes, expressed concerns over how one of the acquisitions will fit the current squad.
Scholes was speaking on a fan debate on the Sky Sports show, The Overlap, when he expressed concerns over the Dutch defender’s true quality, which has been touted over the years since he was captain at Ajax.
“You know what? Manchester United are talking about bringing players in who can’t get in their team,” Scholes said. “[De Ligt] from Bayern Munich… he’s not played for them. That’s a big concern for me, especially when Eric Dier’s playing in front of him. I’m not joking; that is a massive concern for me.
“You’re bringing in players for £40 million, £50m, okay, just because he’s played for them three or four years ago… Juventus got rid of him; he wasn’t good enough at Juventus, he obviously hasn’t been good enough for Bayern Munich. He’s coming to us almost like a second-rate defender now.”
Scholes then gave the defender the benefit of the doubt: “He might be [a good signing], don’t get me wrong. [His relationship with Erik ten Hag from Ajax] is a big boost, and he’s Dutch.”
