‘If you want me to be honest’: Fernandes’ latest comments may raise eyebrows as he mulls over his future outside England

Bruno Fernandes has perhaps been the most influential player at Manchester United since he signed for the club in 2020.

The midfielder’s first full campaign as a Red had the Old Trafford faithful counting their lucky stars that he was one of their own after he notched a remarkable 28 goals and 17 assists in 58 appearances across all competitions.

While his numbers haven’t quite reached that level since, he’s continued to be an integral cog at the heart of the team under each manager, particularly under Erik ten Hag, who opted to strip Harry Maguire of the captaincy last summer and award it to the Portugal star.

Fernandes, who has been named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice, also has availability and reliability that’s second to none; he has never missed a United game through injury in four years. Even if he has sustained slight issues, he’s pushed to ensure he’s fit to feature and provide for the side each week.

This was only proven further when he broke his right hand during the FA Cup semi-final win over Coventry City on April 21, yet went on to start just three days later in a Premier League clash against Sheffield United. He scored twice and assisted once in the game to almost single-handedly claim all three points for the Reds.

Fernandes mulls over his future outside England

The 28-year-old’s contract is set to expire in June 2026, with the club holding the option of activating a one-year extension. But his recent comments may have just cast doubt over whether he’ll see the deal out.

In a recent conversation with DAZN Portugal, he was pressed on the prospect of departing United in the near future.

“I’m not thinking about other things at the moment,” he told the outlet on Tuesday, as cited by MailSport.

“Obviously, it doesn’t just depend on me, does it? A player always has to want to be here, but at the same time, you have to want him to stay. At the moment, I feel there’s that on both sides.

“I’m not thinking too much about the future, not least because, obviously, this season hasn’t been at the level I’d hoped for, either individually or collectively, so far.”

Fernandes continued: “We could still end the season by winning the [FA] Cup. After that, we have a very important Euros coming up.

“So, if you want me to be very honest, if I have to think about not continuing in the Premier League, it won’t be until after the Euros because nothing will be able to take my focus away from the FA Cup final and the Euros, as there’s nothing more important than that at the moment.”