‘He cannot leave’: Under no circumstances can United’s ‘shining light’ be sold, says club legend

Like the majority of Manchester United fans, Steve Bruce stands firm in the belief that the club must do everything they can to keep hold of Bruno Fernandes.

Last weekend, speculation over the skipper’s future gained significant momentum after it was reported that Bayern Munich had identified Fernandes as a primary transfer target this summer.

Portuguese outlet O Joga even went as far as to claim that the Bundesliga giants had already taken the first steps in their pursuit of the midfielder by opening talks with his agent, Miguel Pinho, who has met with several clubs across Europe.

Nevertheless, the Old Trafford faithful were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief when, on Tuesday morning, German reporter Florian Plettenberg shared his understanding of Bayern’s interest in Fernandes.

Plettenberg revealed that United’s talisman is not currently a ‘hot topic’ for new manager Vincent Kompany and Co, as they already have the likes of Jamal Musiala and Thomas Muller as integral starters in midfield.

It remains to be seen if anything more will come of his links to Bayern in the coming weeks, although Fernandes’ focus from now on will be aiding Portugal as best he possibly can in their Euro 2024 campaign.

Read more: Romano confirms PL club won’t ‘make it easy’ for United to sign their highly-rated player this summer

Fernandes’ impact cannot be underestimated, suggests Bruce

United legend Bruce had his say on the latest rumours doing the rounds in a recent interview with talkSPORT.

“He [Fernandes] cannot leave,” the ex-captain declared. “For me, one of the shining lights these past years has been Bruno. He plays with huge intensity.

“Yes, he gets frustrated at times and he can be a bit petulant at times. But in terms of a footballer, when you look at the statistics, he plays 50 games a season, [and] he scores 15–20 goals a season, tops in assists.

“He’s a top, top player. You don’t want to lose him.”