- Recent comments by Bruno Fernandes suggest prolonged stay at Old Trafford
- Responsibility weighs on midfielder’s shoulder
- Reds must keep Fernandes to build off last season’s success
Manchester United fans and their admiration for Bruno Fernandes have reached new heights following an extraordinary individual season from the club captain.
But despite Fernandes sweeping the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Season awards, the Reds endured yet another trophyless campaign. The next step in United’s mission is clear. It is to bring silverware and the glory days back to Old Trafford simultaneously. It is a formula that numerous squads have failed to master since 2013.
While the 31-year-old clearly has the leadership to drive the team forward under Michael Carrick, that depends on the former Sporting CP man staying put at Old Trafford. Fortunately for fans, they may have just received the clearest signal yet that Fernandes intends to do exactly that.
Prestigious Club History Brings “Responsibility”
The Manchester United captain was speaking to reporters while on international duty with Portugal ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Reflecting on the recent season, he said: “Playing for Manchester United is always a special moment for everyone. At the same time, it brings a lot of responsibility with it.”
Fernandes shouldered that responsibility this past season. He carried the team through a challenging first half of the season under Ruben Amorim, and later a fruitful second half under Carrick. In a historic campaign, the midfielder racked up 21 league assists, breaking the all-time Premier League record previously shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
He continued: “But I don’t think anyone comes to Manchester United thinking that we won’t have the responsibility to win again, to be at the top of [the] Premier League, at the top of European soccer. Because the club’s history brings that responsibility.”
United’s recent league campaign matched their best finish since the 2022/23 season under Erik ten Hag, when they also secured a third-place finish. However, this season felt entirely different. A vast improvement in attacking output was driven almost entirely by Fernandes’ creativity from midfield.
Reds Must Not Move Two Steps Back
The Portuguese playmaker is also acutely aware of the weight of recent history. Restoring a sleeping giant to its former glory would cement this current squad as Old Trafford heroes. It is about the only asterisk that currently separates Fernandes from being an icon to a club legend.
“I think everyone always believes that we can be the ones who are going to do this, the ones who are going to turn the page, the ones who are going to make it possible for United to fight on all fronts,” Fernandes added. “I think that has to be special for us players, to realise that we can be the main, let’s say, protagonists of this change of history for United to win again.”
United fans will be optimistic that these recent comments are a verbal confirmation of the club captain staying next season. It was a mystery last summer, as an offer from Saudi Arabia almost tempted him to jump ship.
To progress to the next level, Fernandes must stay at Old Trafford. Going one step forward and two steps backwards has been the bane of United over the last decade whenever they have qualified foir the Champions League. This time it feels different, but the reality might almost entirely depend of whether the PFA Player of the Year stays at United.
