Change is afoot at Manchester United as reports indicate that Bruno Fernandes turned down three lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia in view of becoming Manchester United captain.
The Portugal midfield maestro has been at United since 2020 and in that time, has been the club’s best player. As the most consistent performer at the club, he has also been pushed to the front of the row and is unofficially the face of the club. His role is now set to take a huge leap forward with reports indicating that he could replace Harry Maguire as captain of the Red Devils.
He has worn the armband a number of times but as a substitute for the England Three Lions defender, who lost his starting berth in the 2022/23 season. United’s manager Erik ten Hag has made no official appointments yet but all signs point to the former Sporting CP midfielder taking over from Maguire officially.
While this is the outcome expected in the next few days concerning the changes that are being affected in the Manchester United dressing room, the story could have been different. Reports claim that three different clubs from the Saudi Pro League approached the entourage of the midfielder with very lucrative offers.
The clubs involved have not been mentioned but it is understood that the former Udinese midfielder could have earned a figure that is close to what Karim Benzema was offered to get him to leave Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad, which would have made him the third highest-paid player in the league.
Fernandes, who was on the verge of losing all his captain privileges thanks to some of his antics last season, pledged his future to the Old Trafford faithful by turning all offers down.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano believes Fernandes rejected the move to Saudi Arabia because he has an ambition to become successful at Manchester United as the club’s captain. “I think for Erik ten Hag it’s crucial to have a captain who is always on the pitch; a captain who can help the squad in every game. This is really important,” Romano said.
“The idea of Manchester United and Erik ten Hag is to have a captain that’s always on the pitch, which is why I’m hearing Bruno Fernandes is the bid candidate to become the new permanent captain. Let’s see what Erik ten Hag will communicate to the squad but Bruno is the big candidate to become the new captain.”
