Michael Carrick stance on Bruno Fernandes exit revealed as Man Utd captain weighs up future

Fernandes' United contract runs until 2027 and as that ticks down, the Portugal international has repeatedly been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. The United captain recently revealed that he could have left the club last summer but chose to stay, despite potentially earning "much more money".

He told Canal 11 in mid-December: "Lately, I feel like I’m on thin ice. In England, when a player starts approaching 30, they start thinking they need a makeover. It’s like the furniture. The issue of loyalty isn’t viewed the same way it used to be. I could have left in the last transfer window. I would have earned much more money. I was going to leave a season ago – I won’t say where – but I would have won many trophies that season. I decided to stay because of family reasons, but also because I genuinely love the club. The conversation with the manager also made me stay.  If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I’ll play in Saudi Arabia. My lifestyle will change, my children’s lives will be sunny after six years in Manchester with cold and rain, I’ll be playing in a growing league with renowned players."

Despite being United's talisman, scoring five goals and adding 10 assists in 20 Premier League games this season, the ex-Sporting CP star does not exactly feel loved at Old Trafford by the powers that be. Fernandes even admitted he felt "sad" by the way he was treated by United.

Last month, he said: "From the club’s side, it felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’ It hurts me a bit. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player who has nothing to criticise. I’m always available, I always play, good or bad. I give my all. But it gets to a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go, I have that in my head. I told the directors that, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision, because the manager wanted me. If I had said I wanted to leave, they would have let me go."

Ahead of United's clash with Fulham at the weekend, Carrick said Fernandes has been "fantastic" to him and the club over the years, and he has nothing but positive things to say about the veteran. However, for now, he is more focused on earning another three points after impressive wins over Manchester City and Arsenal.

He said: "We all want to win things. We all want to get better. We want to improve as a team. We want to be successful, and that's something we've got to work towards together, but Bruno's been fantastic since I've been here. He was fantastic when I was here before, so I've got nothing but good things to say about him. That's not to get too far ahead, you know. That's [his future] on the agenda a little bit, but my main agenda is getting through the game on Sunday with Fulham. Bruno's fully committed. There's absolutely no issues at all with that. Things further down the line [will be] addressed towards the end of the season or whatever. But now everything's positive at the moment."

United, who sit fourth in the Premier League table, will hope to stay in the top four after their encounter with Fulham on Sunday at Old Trafford. After that, they host struggling Tottenham on February 7. If the Red Devils lose against the Cottagers, great perils may lie ahead for Carrick and his team.