Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United wanted him to leave

Bruno Fernandes has expressed a desire to leave Manchester United, according to Goal. He told Canal 11 in his native Portugal in an interview publicised in December that he felt the club were willing to let him go last summer and that the after-effects "hurt" him deeply.

Fernandes said: "From the club’s side, it felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’ It hurts me a bit." He added: "More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player who has nothing to criticise. I’m always available, I always play, good or bad. I give my all."

He also claimed: "The club wanted me to go, I have that in my head. I told the directors that, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision, because the manager wanted me. If I had said I wanted to leave, they would have let me go." Fernandes said he "feels like I’m on thin ice" and warned that in England "when a player starts approaching 30, they start thinking they need a makeover."

Fernandes said he could have left in the last transfer window and would have earned more money, and that he was "going to leave a season ago – I won’t say where – but I would have won many trophies that season." He said he stayed for family reasons and because he "genuinely love[s] the club," and that his conversation with the manager also made him stay. It remains unclear whether he will now seek a move.

Key Topics

Sports, Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, Portugal, England, Transfer Window