Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim reportedly asked club staff to afford skipper Bruno Fernandes “respect and love” after a major decision on his future earlier in the summer.
Fernandes made big call on his United future
Towards the end of last season, it emerged that Al-Hilal were strongly interested in signing Fernandes.
Despite United’s disastrous 2024/25 campaign, Fernandes was superb, notching an impressive 19 goals and as many assists across all competitions, on his way to winning the club’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
Al-Hilal identified Fernandes as their ideal marquee target ahead of their participation in the Club World Cup.
The Saudi Pro League outfit launched an ambitious move to lure the Portuguese international to their ranks, offering him an eye-watering three-year deal worth around £200m.
It’s believed that Al-Hilal were also prepared to submit a bid in excess of £100m for the 30-year-old.
United were not opposed to letting Fernandes depart and left the decision fully in his hands. However, after careful deliberation, the playmaking midfielder turned Al-Hilal down in favour of remaining at Old Trafford.
Fernandes insisted that he is happy at United and wants to continue playing at the highest level.
There were also links to Al-Nassr, as recently confirmed by club boss Jorge Jesus, but he also rebuffed them. It appears Fernandes’ incredible show of loyalty was not lost on Amorim, who let staff know about it.
Amorim’s instructions to staff regarding Fernandes
Amorim, accompanied by United chiefs including Marc Armstrong, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada held a meeting with the club’s workforce ahead of the 2025/26 season.
According to The Athletic, Amorim brought up Fernandes and how the player turned down life changing sums from Saudi Arabia.
“Amorim took up the theme of only having players who want to be at United, praising Bruno Fernandes for rejecting the financial allure of Al Hilal in May.”
“Fernandes could have earned much more money in Saudi Arabia, Amorim told staff, but he chose to stay and he deserves respect and love for that as United’s captain.”
“Amorim explained that paying players what they want does not tally with running a business, so Fernandes had shown leadership in this case.”
Amorim speaks about the new-look Carrington
Amorim also shared his thoughts on the new and revamped Carrington, outlining why he feels it will improve the team’s performance moving forward.
He noted that the variety of activities and amenities, from PlayStation zones and an F1 simulator to a pool table and more, will keep players happy and encourage them to spend more time together at Carrington. The hope is that this will strengthen unity and team harmony.
The United boss shared that, unlike last season when the team’s struggles sometimes made him dread going to work, he now enjoys it and looks forward to interacting with club staff and having conversations.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
