Two kids
Chewing gum for the eyes that stuff and tik tock as well.
Ah now MBBâŚit was a very rare event that city were capable of mere competenceâŚit took billions of arab cash to break the cycle of pure shite!
Someday United might score 6 in a derby
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One day, United just might!
Mounty is a doubt for tomorrow.
Hard to see us winning.
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Youâre gone terribly like the KK lads of a 20 years ago - all doom and gloom merchants.
Your heart would go out to them with their hand-wringing and sorrowful talesâŚ.
This was of course when they approaching their zenith as we now all recall.
There was a period of about 8 years there when they were afraid of Galway - yes, Galway.
It was a form of reverse psychology I suppose but youâre better than that.
Something like twice bitten or once shy.
In fairness I predicted a big performance last weekend and outlined how I wouldnât take a draw.
I think we learn a lot more about the team than last week.
I love lads desperately trying to crawl into the long grass. Yanited have spent the guts of a billion quid on the squad and theyâre afraid of Brighton at home. 
In their fuck. United will batter them. Amorim teams play where the space is and are going to send these mincers back down the A1 with Tae in their mugs.
Thatâs the spirit. Itâs Brighton mate, itâll be matcha lattes.
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Likely M6 also.
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Bbbbbertie, Maria Steen and Sean Kelly will be absolutely livid with this election. Beyond me why anyone is giving out about it.
Bruno Fernandes: The Saudi offer, Amorimâs project, 300 Man Utd games, and his future
Oct. 24, 2025Updated 7:13 pm GMT+1
Bruno Fernandes is sitting in sunshine under the roof lights of Carringtonâs revamped main building, reflecting on reaching 300 games for Manchester United. âMy family feels very well here, my kids love the way they live here, even with the weather and everything,â he smiles, looking up. âToday is nothing wrong.â
Had things gone differently in the summer, Fernandes might have been looking at Saudi Arabian skies. Al Hilal made an approach for him, to which Fernandes gave serious consideration. At United, he spoke to Ruben Amorim, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox. At home, he valued his wife Anaâs opinion. âThe first thing she said was, âHave you achieved everything you wanted to achieve at the club?â. Because she knows that I havenât.â
Fernandes also chatted to Cristiano Ronaldo. âI spoke with him about the situation, about Saudi and everything,â says Fernandes. âI wouldnât say what he told me, but we spoke about it. Cristiano had his opinion on what I should do. With all the experience he has, it was important for me to hear what he thought. But obviously the decision will always come to me and to the club.â
During the course of a candid interview, he also detailed:
- Why he ended up staying at Old Trafford and what the future might hold
- His relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe
- Why he is running more than ever in games
- The âgood arroganceâ of Matheus Cunha
- Why he would like to go into coaching
First things first. Fernandes, who turned 31 last month, wants to clarify something he has read about his future.
âIâve seen a lot of news,â he says. âIâve seen a lot of people talking that I had an agreement to go already next season. If the club has done that agreement, it wasnât made with me. I havenât spoken with anyone.
âI could tell you that there are still people talking to me and saying that they will be very eager to have me next year, of course. But from my side, thatâs not talked about. Because my agent also knows how I work, so if he wants to talk to me, it will be after the World Cup. Because until then, I wonât speak to anyone.â
Waiting until after he has completed his duties for Portugal in the United States could mean suitors only get a resolution on Fernandes in mid-July. In the summer just gone, he had effectively ended questions on his future at the start of June, when he rejected Al Hilalâs lucrative approach. Had he shown interest, United may have considered a bid, which is what colours conversations around his continued time at Old Trafford beyond 2026.
Fernandes today revealed for the first time that he also had talks with European clubs.
âThere were also other clubs that tried after Al Hilal, but obviously my answer wouldnât change,â he says âFrom Saudi also. From Europe, I had some people talking to me, but we never got into the place where we would be offering on the table. Itâs all very nice people want you, but they need to put the money on the table for the club. If not, the club wonât allow me to go.
âI think with European clubs, because I didnât show interest to go somewhere, they said, âWeâll be wasting our timeâ.
âThe manager spoke with me. He said I was still part of the project. He wanted me to stay. The club said the same. If the club was like, âBruno, we want to cash in, you are 30. We want to make some moneyâ, I would be like, âOK, I have to find a solution and I will leaveâ.
âBut obviously that wasnât the case. I was still part of the plan; I could help the club to achieve our aims. Thatâs what made me stay.
âThe first time I spoke I was already in Malaysia (on the clubâs post-season tour), that was when everything started. I had a conversation with Omar and I told him, âLook, this is what is on the table. I know the club might be looking at this in one way. I will be looking at it in a different way, so I just want to know from your perspective, what you guys want to doâ.
âJason said, like Omar said, âWe wonât say no, but obviously we want you to stay at the club. But if you want to go, we wonât say that itâs not a good offer for us, because itâs massive moneyâ.
âAl Hilal could offer ÂŁ80million-ÂŁ100m. From there, I spoke with the manager. I said, âLook, this is the offer I have on the table. I have to think about if the club says we want you to go because we want to get more players or whateverâ. That was not the case. The club always said to me that they will reinforce the team.
âThe manager said to me, âNo, we want more players to help you, and to become a better team, so we donât want you to goâ.
âObviously, I have a big connection with the fans, with the club, also the country. My family (he and Ana have two young children, a boy and a girl) is settled. We miss home, but my aim isnât to go play in Portugal again.â
There is, however, one caveat. âIf I had a chance to go to play again in Portugal, I would always put Sporting in front of everyone.â
The Athletic has been told that even on the day Fernandes gave a press conference to say he would be staying at United, Al Hilal raised their contract offer to an astonishing âŹ40m per year net plus âŹ10m in bonuses. Fahad Bin Nafel, Al Hilalâs president, was in Paris as a recruitment base before the Club World Cup in case Fernandes agreed.
âI donât think they were very happy for me to reject the offer,â says Fernandes. âI accept that, because the offer was very good in terms of salary. It was a huge difference.â
Amorim praised Fernandes for turning down the offer during an address to staff on the Monday before the Premier League campaign started.
âMoney is important to everyone in life, but Iâm not in a position where I should be counting my money or having problems in the future if I do things right. Me and my family, weâre not people that spend a lot of money. We like to have our luxury and stuff, but weâre very aware of how much future we still have ahead of us, how much we want to give to our kids, how we want them to grow.
âWe both came from families that were not rich. We never missed food on the table, but weâre very aware because we still have family in Portugal. My mum has nine brothers and sisters. Iâm very aware of the difficulties of life. To be honest, when I finish my career, I just want a relaxed life in my house, going to the coffee shop sometimes with my father.â
Fernandes still has work to do at United before then. The contract extension he signed in 2024 runs to 2027, with the club holding an optional extra year.
He has 100 goals and 84 assists in 299 games for United so far, winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup but losing two Europa League finals. He was also part of the squad that came second in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2020-21.
Should Fernandes stay to 2028, that would align with Unitedâs ambition of winning the title in the clubâs 150th year, termed internally as Project 150. âEveryone knows my aim is to win the Premier League and the Champions League with the club,â he says. âIf Iâm going to do it or not, Iâm not going to be able to tell you.â
He enjoys the personal accolades but would prefer team success. âNot every time the best player in the world is the one that wins the Ballon dâOr, but heâs the one that has done a better season,â he says. âI want people to say good things about me, I would be lying if I say no, but I want the team achievements, because that will be massive for me also. It will make me, in the eyes of people, be a better player. I think thatâs whatâs missing in my time at United, that we do something as a club, something bigger.
âI havenât been much able to give the success that this club wants and deserves, and also the success that I wanted in my head when I signed for United, because when I came to the club that was my aim. Iâve been lucky enough to do well, but as I always say I havenât done well enough because I havenât achieved what I want.â
Ratcliffe has changed a lot at the club since assuming control of operations after his minority investment. Unitedâs co-owner has previously mentioned that when he visits Carrington and oversteps his remit, Amorim tells him to âf**k offâ.
Fernandes laughs. âI donât know about that. I havenât said that to Sir Jim⌠yet!â
Ratcliffe is, however, a regular visitor to Carrington. âWhen he comes along to the training ground, we always see him. We talk a little bit with him, but he doesnât get much involved in technical things with us,â Fernandes adds. âI donât think heâll be much able to do that, just as weâre not able to do the work he does. We have a good connection with him. Every player. Every time he comes, he tries to see everyone, talk to everyone. He has Omar and Jason, more close to us, to get the message through.â
Fernandes does have thoughts on the signings being made under Ratcliffeâs tenure. He sounds positive about Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, striker Benjamin Sesko and goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
âEvery time I spoke with anyone, they were asking, âWe need to sign good playersâ. But we need to sign big characters, not good players, because at this club, being good players sometimes is not enough because of the pressure and attention we get.
âI think we brought in players that are very aware of the dimension of the club. Cunha has that good arrogance to do the good things and the right things. Bryan, also the same. Heâs not afraid to take the ball, to do his play. We bought two players who were aware of the Premier League also.
âThen we brought in a very young goalkeeper and a centre-forward. Obviously, we know Ben will be judged by scoring goals, but heâs been doing great whatever heâs being asked to do. Heâs got his goals already, and I think now itâs going to come more and more.
âHe is very eager to learn and thatâs very good from someone that has done very well in the Bundesliga, came with the biggest price tag. But in his mind, heâs like, âI want to learn, I want to become betterâ. Then on the weekends, he transforms himself into a different person on the pitch. Heâs someone that is like, âI know what I have to do. I want to score goals. Iâm going to get into the box, Iâm going to get into duels. Iâm going to win my headersâ.
âSenne came probably with the intention of being the No 1. He had to wait for his moment and he was ready for that. This is what this club is about.
âWhen we speak about Cunha, the thing of having the arrogance to say, âGive me the ball, I want to play, I want to make thingsâ. Sometimes it wonât be good for people. Iâve been through that. But we want this Cunha. We want you to take risks, to shoot, to take people on, to create.
âBryan, the same. âBryan, just get your shots onâ. Sometimes I get upset with him in training because heâs like, one touch more. I say, âBryan, you donât need that. You can one-touch and shoot because youâre more than able to do that. You did that against us when you were at Brentford!â.â
Another player Fernandes seems to have genuine affection for is Kobbie Mainoo.
Amorim sees the England international â who has had a turbulent few months at Old Trafford â as being in competition with Fernandes for the position next to the holding midfielder.
The question is actually about Fernandesâ longevity and whether a deeper role will extend his years at elite level.
âI have to run much more than I do anything else,â he says. âThereâs so much difference to when I started playing. I had players that played with me that could run 6-7k a game and would be top still. Nowadays, if you run less than 9-10k, youâre really down on your numbers.
âIâm lucky enough to be very capable of running and to deal with the demands of the manager, of the league and everything. But there is competition when it comes to the club. For example, as the manager said, I donât think Kobbie is a competition at the same time, because I think he is very capable of doing what I can do in a different way.
âIf you look at the numbers, Bruno is more capable of scoring goals, probably Kobbie is more capable of taking on people. Weâre different as players, but we still can give very good things to the team in a different way.
âI like the competition and the fact of having Kobbie. He is very young, but very capable of playing high-level football, and he makes me be a better player. This is the type of competition I want to have.â
Listening to Fernandes talk, and seeing the lieutenant status he has under Amorim, a career in coaching feels a natural progression once he finishes playing.
âI really like that side of football,â he says. âItâs something that I always spoke with Juan (Mata) about. I think he goes more to the sporting director side. But (coaching) is something I would like to do. Iâve been lucky enough to grow up in teams where players took care of me. And my father also always tried to help everyone, my mum the same.
âIn the future, I might look and say, âI had a little bit of a touch in that, Iâm very happy to see that theyâve grown, theyâre getting into a place where they wanted to beâ.â
That sense of a journey is clear when Fernandes is asked for his best moment at United. It is not a trophy or a goal, it is his debut, against Wolves on February 1, 2020.
âBecause without that one, I wouldnât be able to achieve all the other ones,â he explains. âThat one will always mark my time at United.â
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The defence caught miles up the field twice already by quick balls in behind the full backs. Has Ruben learnt anything from the previous games against Brighton?
Bryan/Brian Mbeumo is all arse
Heâs a good player.