Things could have been very different
Bruno Fernandes has revealed he wanted to join another Premier League Club.
The United captain joined four years ago from Sporting in his native Portugal.
He joined for a reported fee of £67.7m but is one of the few signings in recent years to have been a success. The 29-year-old has captained the side since July 2023.
Since joining Fernandes has consistently been United’s shining light in dark times at Old Trafford. The Portugual international contributed with 37 goal involvements in 47 appearances for United last season, despite the side finishing a record-low eighth place in the Premier League.
‘You can’t help but dream about playing at the big grounds in England’
In an interview with the Players Tribune, the United skipper revealed he was in talks with Tottenham in 2019, but the deal did not materialise.
He said: “The previous summer, there were some rumours about Premier League clubs being interested in me, but the only thing that was concrete was Tottenham.
“It feels weird to me now, but at the time, I was excited. One of my life goals was to play in the Premier League.
“I tried to block out all the noise, but in the age we are living in, with social media and phones and text, of course, my friends let me know about the rumours.
“As a kid from Portugal, you can’t help but dream a bit about playing at the big grounds in England. In the end, the clubs couldn’t reach an agreement, and the deal fell apart.
“It was a complicated emotion, but I was really happy at Sporting. I felt the love of the fans, and it was a fantastic place for me. But it was not my destiny.”
Fernandes has been heavily criticised by pundits and ex-United players despite his impressive performances. However, he has still enjoyed silverware winning a solitary League Cup in 2022-23, one more trophy than what Spurs have won in the same period. This is without mentioning a runners-up medal in the 2023 FA Cup Final and 2021 UEFA Europa League final.
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