For Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United’s first game back when the Premier League restarts has a little extra spice.
United travel to Tottenham Hotspur, a club who tried and failed to sign Fernandes last summer.
Spurs nearly took advantage of United’s decision to back off Fernandes last year, and tried to do a deal with Sporting. Fortunately for us, they botched it.
Fernandes has not forgotten, and said that even if they had tried to hijack United’s move in January, he would not have been interested.
He is quoted in The Mirror, speaking via Instagram Live: “The first club that was close to signing me was Tottenham with Pochettino. But I don’t know, maybe they thought the amount Sporting wanted was too much so in that moment Sporting decided they don’t want to sell.
“Tottenham came in the summer but Manchester (United) was in January. Maybe Tottenham came again in January, but when I knew Manchester was interested I just wanted to talk to Manchester.”
Point to prove
United’s decision not to pay up for Fernandes last summer was clearly a mistake. He has transformed the team since he signed, and we would be higher up the table right now had he joined then.
It would have been an unforgivable mistake if he had signed for Tottenham and lit up the Premier League with them. He might even have saved Mauricio Pochettino’s job.
Instead we can be glad Tottenham’s funds did not stretch as far as Sporting’s demands, giving us a much-needed second chance in January.
This leaves Fernandes with an extra point to prove in his first game back.
The Portugal international is fiercely competitive and has clearly not forgotten the near-miss, even if he is now relieved about it.
He will want to show the North London club just how wrong they were not to pay up, and what better way to do so by dominating them in their new stadium upon the Premier League’s long-awaited return.
Fernandes is a dangerous player in normal circumstances. Let alone when he has a point to prove.
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