It's hard to fathom where Manchester United would be this season without the exploits of their captain Bruno Fernandes.
United are destined for their worst Premier League finish in decades and have only recently begun to recover anything approaching good form under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Fernandes is to thank for much of that recent progress, despite being maligned by some ex-players of the club for perceived attitude issues.
The Portuguese playmaker has 32 goal contributions in all competitions this year, including goals against Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League. His hat-trick against Real Sociedad carried United into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, their only hope of salvaging what has been a miserable season.
Fernandes' antics on the pitch towards teammates and referees has oftentimes been questioned since his arrival in Manchester in 2020. What cannot be questioned, however, has been his relentless output in attack during one of the most inconsistent periods of Manchester United's history.
The captain has become the essential player in this team over the past five years and reports linking him with a big-money summer move to Real Madrid will surely have startled Manchester United fans this week.
However, Ruben Amorim quickly put those rumours to bed this week as he prepares his side for a return to action.
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Ruben Amorim shuts down reports linking Bruno Fernandes with Manchester United exit
Ruben Amorim faced the media on Monday as he prepares his side to return to Premier League action after over two weeks off.
🚨🎥 - FULL clip of Ruben Amorim on Bruno Fernandes to Real Madrid reports:
"He's NOT going anywhere, I already told him.
"He's one more supporter [fan] of Man Utd."
He was already nodding the moment he heard 'Real Madrid' 😭😭❤️pic.twitter.com/uPl6CwUdGb
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) April 1, 2025
The Portuguese coach was asked about the reports over the weekend that Bruno Fernandes could be set to leave Manchester United this summer.
Amorim tellingly laughed before the question was over, and left the journalists in the room under no illusions as to Fernandes' importance at Old Trafford.
No, it's not going to happen.
[Winning trophies] is the challenge. I want Bruno here because, like I said maybe in the lowest moments of our season, we want to win the Premier League again. We want the best players to continue with us.
[Bruno] is still so young. He plays 55 games every season. Between assists and goals, he's there for 30 at least. He's the type of player we want here. He is not going anywhere.
We are in control of the situation. I feel that he's really happy here, especially because he understands what we want to do. I think he's one more supporter of Manchester United, you really feel it.
Sometimes the frustration that you see, everybody sees, maybe you say it's not a good thing in a captain. It's a sign that he wants this so bad. This is the kind of player we want.
Amorim left the room in stitches with his closing remark.
He is not going anywhere, because I already told him.
It appears as though Bruno Fernandes is going nowhere, in news that will no doubt be a relief to Manchester United fans.
United return to Premier League action on Tuesday night, with their trip to Nottingham Forest live on TNT Sports.
