Could the end be near for Manchester United? Is Bruno Fernandes’ time at Old Trafford finally reaching its climax?
It’s a journey that has taken the Portuguese genius to legendary status, but the 31-year-old’s outlook on life after has been thrown into the spotlight, following his recent comments regarding his future at United.
With his existing contract set to expire in 2027, the £300,000-a-week talent could well be the last high-profile talent to move on under the INEOS regime, with the last 18 months having witnessed a truly ruthless overhaul of the playing squad.
Fernandes may well look to the success of some of his former teammates away from Manchester as further fuel to want to seek a fresh start, with all the glorious moments, all the goals and assists having so far only yielded an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup for the finish in 2020.
Summits by Scott McTominay and others have shown that the grass can be greener, although INEOS is no doubt wary of signing another potentially controversial sale.
Every senior Man Utd player sold under INEOS
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his colleagues took control of operations in early 2024, there has been a clear desire to try to right the wrongs of previous regimes, with Ratcliffe himself highlighting costly and “legacy” signings in interviews earlier this year.
Two of them have since left, with Antony returning to Real Betis on a permanent deal, while Rasmus Hojlund joined Napoli on a season-long loan deal that includes a conditional purchase obligation.
Perhaps the biggest and most notable move of the summer was INEOS’ support for Ruben Amorim regarding Alejandro Garnacho, with the 2024 FA Cup final goalscorer shipped to Chelsea, after his manager asked him to find a new club at the end of last season.
With Andre Onana, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all also out on loan, the ruthlessness of INEOS’ first window in charge was replicated, with the previous summer of 2024 having seen McTominay lead the run of departures from Old Trafford.
The likes of Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were also fired; Donny van de Beek was sold for just £500,000, while the French duo of Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial left for nothing.
This desire to rip it all up and start again has also led to United opting to cash in on a handful of potential prospects, namely Hannibal Mejbri, Facundo Pellistri and Willy Kambwala, with none of that trio truly solidifying themselves in a regular role under Erik ten Hag.
It’s fair to say that with Mejbri now at relegated Burnley, Pellistri now in Greece and Kambwala enduring an injury spell at Villarreal, INEOS appears to have made the right choices in these cases.
That said, they certainly don’t have it all figured out.
Forgotten Man Utd flop now worth more than Fernandes and McTominay
If there’s one area where Ten Hag certainly overshadows Amorim, it’s his confidence in United’s academy ranks, having overseen the promotion of Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, while pushing Toby Collyer at the start of last season.
Even a youth-focused coach like the Dutchman can make mistakes in this area, however, it still represents a glaring oversight to not have given talented full-back, Alvaro Carreras, a chance during his tenure in charge.
Signed from Real Madrid in the summer of 2020, the same period that saw Garnacho plucked from rivals Atletico, the teenage Carreras – or Fernandez, as he was then known – spent four years at United without making a single senior appearance, even amid an injury crisis at left-back.
The decision to overlook the Spaniard in 2023/24, following a notable loan spell at Preston North End in the Championship, was particularly egregious, with Ten Hag instead testing a series of makeshift options on the left flank, including Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat.
With Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both out for long periods and Sergio Reguilon seeing his loan spell end midway through the campaign, January 2024 would have been the ideal time for the youngster to get the nod.
Instead, after returning from a loan spell at Granada, Carreras returned to Benfica, before signing permanently for the Portuguese side for an initial fee of just £5 million that summer.
18 months on, the 22-year-old is now a regular at Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid, having completed a £42m move to the Bernabeu earlier this year. United, in January and over the summer, opted not to activate a £16million buyout clause.
|
Man Utd’s most valuable graduates |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Value |
|
Alvaro Carreras |
£52 million |
|
Mason Greenwood |
£44 million |
|
Scott McTominay |
£44 million |
|
Anthony Elanga |
£44 million |
|
Alexandre Garnacho |
£40 million |
|
Marcus Rashford |
£40 million |
|
Kobbie Mainoo |
£35 million |
|
via Transfermarkt |
|
A player compared to new teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold for his attacking quality, Carreras’ rise to prominence has resulted in his market value skyrocketing, with Transfermarkt considering him to be worth up to €60m (£52m).
He is now the most valuable United academy graduate, ahead of McTominay – who is estimated to be worth €45m (£39m) – with the figure putting him even ahead of Fernandes, whose value has fallen to just €40m (£35m).
On current evidence, that status and reputation will only improve, with even the sweetener of United’s 20% sell-on clause, under this move from Madrid, unable to eclipse the club and Ten Hag’s bizarre management of such an obvious talent.
The Man Utd star was treated like Mainoo, now he’s as essential as Fernandes
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