Bruno Fernandes missed out on a move to Tottenham just six months before he completed a transfer to Manchester United.
Bruno Fernandes has been at Manchester United for almost six years.
The former Sporting CP star hit the ground running at Old Trafford, from an immediate ‘talisman’ to becoming club captain.
After costing United £47 million in January 2020, Fernandes has gone on to win the club’s Player of the Year award four times.
Manchester United’s record without Bruno Fernandes is not great…
What is your biggest fear about Bruno being out of action?
Under Ruben Amorim, Fernandes has transformed from being a No.10 to playing a deeper role alongside Casemiro. That hasn’t stopped the Portuguese Magnifico from being the top creator in the team as he continues to pull the strings in a more disciplined role.
United were dealt a blow last weekend as Fernandes sustained an injury in a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa. It’s a serious injury, but Amorim has yet to reveal when he expects his star player to return to action.
How Bruno Fernandes reacted when Tottenham transfer fell through
Six months before a January transfer swoop took Fernandes to Old Trafford, Tottenham were in talks with the playmaker.
The deal failed to materialise when the Sporting board decided to hold out for a bigger offer before selling Raphinha to Rennes instead. This led to Fernandes becoming upset with club president Frederico Varandas.
In an interview with Amazon Prime Sport, Fernandes admits he was ‘very sad’ when his Tottenham move fell through, but a call from United saw a dream come true.
“The story started in the summer, Tottenham were interested in me, I met with them and all that, but Sporting wouldn’t sell me,” Fernandes said.
“President Varandas made me very sad, we spoke later, because the English market closed, then January came round, they sold Raphinha and Bas Dost. Sporting still had financial difficulties, so they had to sell me and they had an offer from Manchester United.
“I was in my room changing, my wife had tears in her eyes, asking what was going wrong. I couldn’t talk to her because, as I said, it was like a dream for me. This has always been my favourite club, so getting that call six months after thinking it wasn’t possible, the offer from the club of my dreams came.”
What is Bruno Fernandes’ best position for Manchester United?
This shows how close Fernandes was to joining Tottenham, and that the last few years at Old Trafford could have been very different
Bruno Fernandes career stats
Fernandes played in Italy and Portugal before signing for United.
Although Fernandes proved himself at Sporting CP as a top player, his best years have come at United, which is not something that could be said for many signings made by the previous recruitment team.
Fernandes stats by club
- Manchester United: 308 appearances, 103 goals, 93 assists
- Sporting CP: 137 appearances, 63 goals, 50 assists
- Udinese: 95 appearances, 11 goals, 13 assists
- Sampdoria: 35 appearances, five goals, three assists
- Novara FC: 23 appearances, four goals, two assists
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
