The transfer window is such that the signings you don’t make can make you look equally as bad as the ones you do, but Man Utd won’t be sweating over a certain Portuguese wonderkid they missed out on.
Ineos have played the balancing act of adding exciting youngsters to the first-team with experienced professionals perfectly.
For every Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens, there has been a Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Man Utd wanted to add a Portuguese wonderkid to the batch of Sesko and Lammens in the summer, but he made a contentious move elsewhere. It’s fair to say United will feel vindicated due to what has happened since.
Man Utd were keen on Roger Fernandes
For all the talk about a Portuguese revolution that surrounded Ruben Amorim before he joined Old Trafford, it’s striking to note that he hasn’t signed a single player yet from the league.
That fact could have changed in the summer, because United were keen on Roger Fernandes, the 19-year-old versatile wide player.
Fernandes was turning heads for SC Braga with his versatility and engine, two traits valued highly by Amorim.
He wasn’t going to cost much either, and with the long-term upside and ability to cover both wing-back positions, his signing was enticing.
However, United had to pivot and prioritise other positions of more pressing need, such as striker and goalkeeper.
What they wouldn’t have expected was the move Fernandes would eventually end up making.
Fernandes’ contentious Saudi Arabia move hasn’t worked out
Saudi Arabia is becoming an increasingly popular destination for some of the game’s biggest stars, but what it is not yet is a breeding ground for European talent.
For Fernandes to move to Al-Ittihad at the age of just 19 raised some eyebrows about his priorities and decisions, and those fears are coming true in the worst possible way.
Fernandes has played just 149 league minutes out of seven possible games, and a total of just 843 minutes across all competitions.
The striking thing is that out of those 843 minutes, 425 came for SC Braga. He has effectively played more minutes for a European team he left in the summer than the Saudi team he joined and has been with for nearly three months now.
Not only is he not getting enough minutes anymore, but the minutes he is getting are at a much lower level of competition.
At just 19, that is the worst possible position to be in, and it is entirely due to his own choice.
Fernandes could have stayed put at Braga and benefited from top competition by playing regular minutes, but it hasn’t panned out that way due to his transfer decision.
Players like Gabri Veiga have returned from Saudi Arabia to get a foothold in European football again, but Fernandes might live to regret his choice.
Ineos will already be feeling vindicated that they prioritised other players.
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