Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has signaled his willingness to leave the club if it means helping with a much-needed rebuild following their Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
United suffered a 1-0 loss in Bilbao on Wednesday, with Brennan Johnson’s goal sealing a disappointing end to an already difficult season. The defeat added to the club’s woes as they face their lowest league finish since 1974.
Manager Ruben Amorim had earlier stated after the final that he would step down without demanding compensation if the club no longer wanted him. Now, Fernandes, 30, has echoed that readiness to move on, aware of the financial challenges and squad overhaul that lie ahead for the club.
“I have always been honest. I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” Fernandes said. “I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days. On the day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it.
“But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way. If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it is what it is and football sometimes is like this.”
Fernandes, who joined United in 2020, has been one of the standout performers this season but could not make an impact in the final at San Mamés.
Reflecting on the loss, he described the day as “very sad,” emphasizing how much the team wanted to win the trophy.
“We wanted to win more than anything in this final,” he said. “It’s a very sad day because we’ve done some very good things in this competition until today. But today (Wednesday) was the day that mattered, the most important day of the competition. It was the day we could have been in the history of the Europa League, but it’s not like that. And football is cruel, and it’s been our turn to lose.”
Despite the bleak results since Amorim took over in November, Fernandes expressed confidence in the Portuguese coach’s leadership, saying the players still believe he is the right man for the job.
“We (the players) just agreed that he’s the right man,” Fernandes stated. “He has done a lot of good things. We know that the manager is looked at by the results. Obviously, we see more than that as players. We know for everyone it will be about him bringing back the positivity in the club. To try to bring the club back to fight for trophies, fight for the big trophies. And we all agree that he’s the right man.”
As Manchester United face a period of transition and rebuilding, Fernandes’s stance highlights his commitment to the club but also his understanding that change may be necessary for the club’s future success.
