BRUNO: BACK ME UP!
Skipper Fernandes challenges misfifiring United to match his ambitions or he’ll go
MANCHESTER UNITED captain Bruno Fernandes insists he does not want to leave but wants the club to match his expectations.
The Portugal international had said in an interview in his homeland earlier this month he would consider his future after Euro 2024, and has been linked with Bayern Munich or a move to Saudi Arabia.
He fuelled further doubt when, after the victory over Newcastle last week, he said: “If for some reason they don’t want to have me, I will go, but if they want me I will stay.”
But the 29- year- old, who has two years remaining on his contract, has moved to clarify his stance.
“I love to step out at Old Trafford more than anything in the world. I don’t want to leave.
“This has always been my ultimate dream,” he said. “I just want my expectations to fit with the expectations of the club. If you go talk to any fan, they will tell you the same thing.
“We want to compete for the league. We want to be playing Champions League football. We want to be in cup finals. That is the standard. That is what I want. That is what you all deserve.
“I just want to keep fighting. I want to be here.”
After a disappointing season which saw United finish eighth, Fernandes accepted responsibility for the team’s poor showing, which also saw them finish bottom of their Champions League group, but said he was determined to lead them to better things.
“I know that it has not been an easy season for you. We have not been up to the standard that you deserve,” he added in a direct message to fans.
“There were so many moments when we won a massive game and it felt like ‘ OK, now we are going to build from this’… and it just never happened.
“It never fully clicked for us. We were not consistent enough, and we have to be better.
Struggles
“After this difficult season, it is my responsibility to give more.”
Meanwhile, Andre Onana felt like he fell from being the best goalkeeper in the world during a nightmare, error- ridden start at Manchester United – and has backed misfiring Marcus Rashford to rebound from his own struggles.
Things appeared on the up for the Red Devils as they won the Carabao Cup, finished third in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final during a promising first campaign under Erik ten Hag.
Onana was among those brought in over the summer to take United onto another level but things have gone awry in an injury- hit season in which they limped home eighth.
“In the beginning it was difficult,” he said. “I am used to move to different countries but it took me six months to feel good here.
“But now I’m happy here and also I was lucky because I have good team- mates, they were helping me.
“Even when it was tough, when I was not feeling so good, they were there for me and now I am happy.”
Onana managed to dig deep and kick on when he could have been sent into a tailspin under the intense pressure that comes with playing for the Old Trafford outfit.
The £ 47.2million goalkeeper has been one of United’s better players in the second half of a below- par season, with his shaky start showing
him that “you are never too strong in life”.
“When I arrived here, I arrived as the best goalkeeper in the world and ‘ boom’ it went down and you see how difficult football is sometimes,” Onana said.
“It depends on you if you want to stay down there or if you want to stand up and fight. It was for me in certain moment like ‘ What happened?’
“But I decided to not stay there but to stand up and fight. Because I know who I am.
“Never stay too high but also don’t stay too low because being a player for such a big club, when you win it’s top and when you don’t win it’s terrible.
“So you have to find, you have to stay in between and fuel your mind and have your mental health safe because it is not easy to play for such a big club.
“It’s a lot of pressure and you have to find a good way to deal with the situation because it is not easy, especially when you arrive and things have not been good.”
Onana is far from alone in having endured difficulties, with homegrown star Rashford the highest profile underperformer.
Having struck 30 times for the club last season, the forward has managed just eight this term and was left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad.
“Rashford – how many goals did he score last season? How many goals did he score this season? We are talking about the same player,” Onana said.
“He’s a bad player? So last season he was good, this season he is bad? No. It is just a moment.
“You can have a bad season, you can have a bad start. But the most important thing is how you end and Rashy, for me, is one of the best players in the world.”