Bruno Fernandes cited his desire to continue playing ‘at the highest level’ as a major reason why he rejected Al Hilal’s lucrative advances.
The Red Devils captain turned down an eye-watering £700,000-per-week move to join the Saudi Arabian club following conversations with his family and United boss Ruben Amorim.
GettyFernandes won’t be heading to Saudi Arabia just yet[/caption]Saudi chiefs had grown in confidence about reaching an agreement with the 30-year-old and were prepared to table a staggering £100m offer to United for his services.
But that is now off the cards.
Speaking to the media ahead of Portugal’s Nations League semi-final against Germany on Wednesday, Fernandes lifted the lid on how he came to his decision.
“There was an opportunity,” Fernandes said.
“The [Al Hilal] president called me and asked if I wanted to go there. They were waiting for me.
“I spoke to coach Amorim. He asked me not to go.
“Manchester United didn’t want to sell me. They don’t need the money.
“If I had wanted to leave, they would have made it happen.”
Fernandes conceded a Saudi switch would have been ‘an easy move, even at a family level’.
“I had Joao Cancelo there, my children are used to playing with him in the national team, we have a great friendship,” Fernandes added.
The 30-year-old did not want to leave the top level of football just yetUEFA via Getty“But I want to maintain myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions. and I feel capable of it.”
Fernandes’ decision to turn down the riches of Saudi Arabia was of great pleasure to former World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit, who hailed it as a ‘remarkable’ call from the United skipper.
“Money is a big matter in football,” Petit said on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan.
“Players, especially this generation, I won’t say that it was not the case in the past, but I think it’s becoming more and more important.
“Money is becoming more important than winning titles and having a great career.
“And I have to to say thank you very much, Bruno, for what you’ve done, because you could have left Manchester United and taken the huge money. The offer on the table was amazing and he refused it.
GettyAmorim will be one of the many who are elated Fernandes rejected Al-Hilal’s advances[/caption]“So that means for me, his commitment to the club, his love for Manchester United, his passion for the Premier League.
“He wants to play at the highest level and I think this is remarkable.
“Honestly, I don’t know how many players would have done that.”
Fernandes’ decision to stay comes as a major boost for United as they pursue a deal for Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo, who is valued at £50m.
The 13-time Premier League winners have looked to conduct their business early and have already confirmed the £62.5m capture of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.
With Fernandes set to remain, Cunha through the door and Mbeumo inching closer to joining, Amorim will go into next season with a wealth of attacking players to feed chances to.
However, Fernandes will want to see a marked improvement from his team as they finished 15th in the Premier League and will not play European football next season.
Despite United’s dismal 2024/25 campaign, the 30-year-old reached 19 goals and 19 assists across all competitions and didn’t play in just three of their 60 matches.
Fernandes has made 290 appearances in six seasons for United and is just two goals away from hitting a century.
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