Man Utd 'panicked' over Fernandes transfer demand

Tom Weber

19 Oct 2024 11:30 BST
3 min read

Bruno Fernandes, Man Utd, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was ready to jump ship in the summer, but 'the club panicked and gave him a massive new deal,' according to a report.

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The Red Devils have been in turmoil most years since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and it has been no different under Erik ten Hag. After a promising first season in charge, things quickly turned sour last term, with Man Utd slumping to their worst-ever Premier League finish.

While the campaign ended on a high with the FA Cup victory over Man City at Wembley, it was, on the whole, a dreadful campaign that also saw the Red Devils crash out of the Champions League in the group stage in embarrassing fashion.

Man Utd, arguably the biggest footballing club and brand in the world, are simply not at the level they should be at and this, ESPN reports, is becoming a major problem.

Fernandes wanted to leave

The outlet claims that captain Bruno Fernandes was ready to abandon Erik ten Hag's sinking ship in the summer, having grown "tired of the club's repeated failure to deliver."

This is far from a surprising revelation, with Fabrizio Romano reporting in the summer that the Portugal international's representatives were in talks with clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Fernandes and his camp always asserted that he was fully committed to Man Utd and wanted to stay, but the above-mentioned report casts doubt on this.

It is claimed that the only reason the 30-year-old stayed is because "the club panicked and gave him a massive new deal," as one source told the outlet. Fernandes extended his contract from 2026 until 2027 on August 14.

The report further insists that players have so far been "underwhelmed" with the impact of new owners INEOS and that there is some anger in the dressing room over the brutal job cuts Sir Jim Ratcliffe has carried out to reduce the club's expenditure.