Rio Ferdinand makes honest Bruno Fernandes admission after Man Utd decision
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim endured a nightmare first season at Old Trafford, but as he looks for a much improved second campaign, will be pleased to have his captain and best player, Bruno Fernandes, sticking around
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand admits he's not sure he'd have been able to reject Saudi Arabia's millions like Bruno Fernandes did. The United captain turned down a £100m transfer to Al Hilal earlier this month, which would have netted him in the region of £700k-a-week, to stay at Old Trafford and lead Ruben Amorim's rebuild.
Fernandes, who will soon be 30, decided he didn't want to leave the Premier League for Saudi at this stage of his career, despite United's dismal 2024-25 campaign, which saw them finish 15th in the top flight and fail to qualify for Europe.
And club legend Ferdinand believes that his decision to snub a move away and continue fighting to get United back where they believe they should be, tells fans everything they need to know about their talisman.
"The one thing it says to me, there's a loyalty, the 46-year-old said, speaking exclusively to Mirror Football."And I think that word gets banded about quite a lot, but we don't really see it often from the club's point of view and the players.
"And listen, I understand it's a business. But I think he looks at this as pure, 'I've got unfinished business at United. There's stuff I want to do here. Yes, I've been paid well here. The fans love me.' But I think he's in the game of wanting to give back after all he's received. So I've got nothing but respect for him. I would have understood him leaving if he left, 100 percent.
"But the fact that he stayed and said, listen, there's stuff for me still to do here. I think it's a testament to him as a person, but also another reason why the managers comfortably give him the armband."
And Ferdinand admitted: " If I was him, I think I'd have found it difficult to say no. I've got to be honest."
One thing that badly hampered United last term was their struggles in front of goal. They have already struck a £62.5m deal with Wolves for Matheus Cunha as they bid to rectify that issue, with Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo now being targeted too. A new No.9 is also on their list, with Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike both having been mooted as potential arrivals.
On the personal front, ex-England ace Ferdinand recently launched his Career Transfer Hub in collaboration with Talking Futures, with hopes of bridging the gap between teenagers and their parents in terms of future planning. He says about the cause: " I think it's about empowering kind of families to talk more about education, especially parents.
"I think we're comfortable talking about a lot of things, i.e. football, a lot of the time in and around the front room or across the table with your kids, but getting that kind of common ground when you're talking about education, sometimes it's quite difficult, even I've found it difficult at times.
"So something like this is definitely a good way in and a good avenue in to kind of having those conversations about what's next in your life, education wise, where do you see yourself going? What paths are you looking at?
"And this is a great, I think, avenue for parents to really kind of touch the paper and go, right, listen, here we go, and start walking their kids down the right path, giving them a little bit of autonomy over it, but also guide them a little bit at the same time.
"So I wish I'd had this when I was younger - although I had football, which I was quite fortunate with."
Rio Ferdinand has partnered with Talking Futures to launch the Career Transfer Hub – giving parents access to information on their child's education options just like football agents have transfer insiders, negotiation teams and career scouts. You can find out more here.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gossip: Could Guehi and Gomez swap clubs?
Liverpool are keen on signing Crystal Palace's England defender Marc Guehi, 24. (Daily Mail), externalLiverpool and England defender Joe Gomez, 28, is interesting Crystal Palace, Leeds United and West Ham and the club are open to letting him go. (TBR Football), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gossip: Gunners monitor Madueke
Chelsea and England winger Noni Madueke, 23, is on the radar of a host of clubs this summer, including Arsenal. (Telegraph - subscription needed), externalSporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, is edging closing to joining Arsenal instead of Manchester United. (Talksport), externalSlovenia striker Benjamin Sesko, 22, wants a release clause in his contract if he is to join Arsenal from RB Leipzig this summer. (The Transfers Podcast), externalGhana midfielder Thomas Partey, 32, is expected to leave Arsenal on 30 June as negotiations over a new deal are at standstill. (ESPN), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip columnFollow the gossip column on BBC Sport
BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Gossip: Man Utd keep tabs on Bayern's Palhinha
Manchester United are waiting to discover whether it will be possible to sign Bayern Munich and Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 29, on loan after deciding not to spend big on Atalanta's Brazilian midfielder Ederson, 25. (Givemesport), externalSporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, is edging closing to joining Arsenal instead of Manchester United. (Talksport), externalWant more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport
