Wayne Rooney has revealed that former Manchester United teammate Darren Fletcher opened his eyes over the doubts that he had around one key Red Devils star.
Darren Fletcher is currently serving as the Manchester United Under-18s head coach and briefly stepped into first-team duties in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
The 42-year-old former United and Scotland midfielder was immediately appointed caretaker manager after Ruben Amorim was sacked by the Premier League club.
Fletcher oversaw two matches in charge of United during the previous season before Michael Carrick was appointed as the interim head coach until the end of the campaign.
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Wayne Rooney talked with Darren Fletcher about Man Utd and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has had a seminal impact at Manchester United since the Red Devils brought the 31-year-old Portuguese midfielder to England back in 2020.
The Man Utd captain is widely considered the Red Devils’ best signing since iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out of Old Trafford back in 2013.
Wayne Rooney has now admitted that he was left ‘surprised’ by how Bruno Fernandes defied his expectations after United signed him from Sporting CP.
“He did, yeah, I think his knowledge of football, you could see, is clear,” he said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“And for me, when he first joined Manchester United, I was a bit unsure, if I’m being honest.
“And I think the perception was a lot of people who I speak to as well were like, ‘I don’t really like how he is on the pitch and stuff.’ I think a lot of people say that.”
Rooney recalled that his feelings towards Fernandes shifted after fellow United legend Darren Fletcher talked up Fernandes’ importance as Red Devils captain.
“But I remember speaking to Darren Fletcher, a few years back, over Bruno and Fletcher was telling me how good he is [as a player] and how good he is with the players and as a captain and stuff,” he continued.
“So, then I was like, ‘Okay,’ that changed my mind […].”
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Wayne Rooney on meeting Bruno Fernandes and his admiration for the Man Utd skipper
Rooney crossed paths with Bruno Fernandes during the 2025-26 season for a sitdown chat and United’s all-time scorer was impressed by the midfielder.
“[…] And then, obviously, when I met him a few weeks ago, he was brilliant, and not just with me, but everyone who was there, he was brilliant with everyone,” he added.
“That shows, obviously, he’s a leader; he thinks about football a lot [and] he takes it really seriously.
“And he wants to be better, the best he can, and he wants his teammates to be better, which I think is really important.”
Fernandes signed off his latest season at Old Trafford on a high note after the Man Utd star broke the Premier League assist record in a single campaign.
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