Is the end near for Manchester United? Is Bruno Fernandes’ time at Old Trafford reaching its climax?
It has been a journey that has taken the Portuguese prodigy to legendary status, but following his recent comments about his future at United, the focus is now on his prospects for life after he turns 31.
With his existing contract set to expire in 2027, the £300,000-a-week talent could become the latest high-profile talent to move under the INEOS regime, which has seen a real ruthless overhaul of the squad over the past 18 months.
Fernandes has had all the bright moments, goals and assists so far, winning only the FA Cup and Carabao Cup heading into 2020, but he may look to the success of some of his former team-mates as further fuel as he looks for a fresh start after leaving Manchester.
Scott McTominay et al’s high prices suggest the grass could be greener, but INEOS will no doubt be wary of approving another potentially controversial sale.
All Manchester United senior players to be sold under INEOS
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and others took command of the operation in early 2024, there has been a clear desire to right the wrongs of the previous government, with Ratcliffe himself mentioning big-ticket “succession” contracts in an interview earlier this year.
Two of them subsequently left the club, with Anthony returning to Real Betis on a permanent contract, while Rasmus Højlund joined Napoli on a season-long loan with a buyout option.
Perhaps the biggest and most notable decision of the summer was that of INEOS in favor of Ruben Amorim over Alejandro Garnacho, with the 2024 FA Cup final scorer being released to Chelsea after being told by his manager to look for a new club at the end of last season.
Andre Onana, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were all also sent out on loan, replicating the ruthlessness of INEOS’ first spell, with McTominay leading a wave of departures from Old Trafford a year earlier in the summer of 2024.
The likes of Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were also sent on their way. Donny van de Beek was sold for just £500,000, while French duo Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial left for free.
Desiring to shake things up and start anew, United opted to bring in a handful of promising players in Hannibal Mabry, Facundo Pellistri and Willy Kambwala, but none of the trio was able to cement a regular place under manager Erik ten Hag.
With Meybri currently at relegated Burnley, Pellistri on tour in Greece and Kambwala enduring an injury-hit stint at Villarreal, INEOS may have made the right decisions in these cases.
However, that doesn’t mean they get everything right.
Manchester United’s forgotten fiasco is now worth more than Fernandes and McTominay
If there is one area where Ten Hag certainly overshadows Amorim, it is in regards to his faith in United’s academy ranks, having overseen the promotion of Garnacho and Koby Mainu and pushing Toby Collier at the start of last season.
But even a young-focused manager like the Dutchman can make mistakes in that department, and it was still a clear oversight not to give talented full-back Alvaro Carreras a chance during his time as manager.
Signed from Real Madrid in the summer of 2020 at the same time Garnacho was signed from rivals Atlético, the teenage Carreras (then known as Fernandes) spent four years at United without making a single first-team appearance, amid an injury crisis at left-back.
The decision to miss out on the Spaniard for the 2023/24 season was particularly bad on the back of a big loan to Preston North End in the Championship, with Ten Hag instead testing a number of instant options on the left, including Victor Lindelof and Sofian Amrabat.
With Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malasia both out for long periods of time and Sergio Reguilon expected to end his loan midway through the campaign, January 2024 would have been the perfect time for the youngster to secure a deal.
Instead, Carreras returned to Benfica after returning from a loan spell with Granada, and signed a permanent contract with the Portuguese side that summer for an initial fee of just £5 million.
Eighteen months on from his £42m move to the Bernabéu earlier this year, the 22-year-old is now a regular at Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid side. United chose not to trigger his reported £16m buy-back clause both in January and in the summer.
Most Valuable Man United Alumni | |
|---|---|
player | value |
Alvaro Carreras | £52 million |
mason greenwood | £44m |
Scott McTominay | £44m |
Anthony Elanga | £44m |
Alejandro Garnacho | £40m |
marcus rashford | £40 million |
Coby Mainu | £35 million |
via Transfermarkt | |
The rise of Carreras, whose attacking prowess has drawn comparisons to his new teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, is reflected in his soaring market value, with Transfermarkt pegging his value at €60 million (approximately JPY 5.2 billion).
He is now United’s most valuable academy graduate, ahead of McTominay, who is said to be worth €45m (about £39m), and ahead of Fernandes, whose value has dropped to just €40m (about £35m).
Current evidence suggests that even United relaxing their 20% sell-on clause as part of the Madrid move will not reverse the club’s and Ten Hag’s bizarre treatment of such an obvious talent, and his status and status will only improve.
The Manchester United star was treated like a minnow, but now he’s as hard to beat as Fernandes.
One of Manchester United’s stars has shown there could be light at the end of the tunnel for Koby Mainu.
