Former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce has had his say on Bruno Fernandes potentially departing Old Trafford to Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich this summer.
After Manchester United won the FA Cup, thanks to a dramatic, but thoroughly deserved, 2-1 win over Manchester City, all the talk in the days since that Wembley win has been about the future of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman has had a poor season at Old Trafford but the FA Cup win could save him with HITC reporting that the club’s top brass are split on whether to keep the former Ajax boss or not.
One player who has continued to perform consistently this season is Bruno Fernandes but the future of the Portuguese midfielder is also unclear.
Bruce on Fernandes and Bayern
Speaking on talkSPORT, former United defender Steve Bruce has had his say on the potential deal to take Fernandes to Bavaria but he believes the Red Devils have to do all they can to hold on to the Portuguese midfielder.
“He cannot leave,” Bruce said. “Look, for me, the one shining light in the last few years has been Bruno. I mean, he plays with huge intensity.
“Yes, he gets a bit frustrated at times, but in terms of a footballer, you look at the statistics, he scores 15 – 20 goals a season, has top assists. He is a top, top player, so you don’t want to be losing him.”
It’s hard to argue with Fernandes’ statistics as he has consistently performed for the Red Devils, even when the club have struggled. In the season just gone, Fernandes scored 10 goals and provided eight assists, and that was just in the Premier League.
Fernandes has rubbished rumours
Portuguese outlet O Jogo had reported that Bayern had made contact with Miguel Pinho, Fernandes’ agent, whilst there was also interest from Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
Speaking to The Players Tribune, in the days before United’s FA Cup final clash, the 29-year-old seemed keen to rubbish any talk of his departure.
“I love to step out at Old Trafford more than anything in the world. I don’t want to leave. This has always been my ultimate dream,” he said.
There has also been speculation about a move to the Saudi Pro League but it seems likely the former Sporting Lisbon captain will remain at Old Trafford.
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