Omar Berrada has not ruled out Bruno Fernandes leaving Manchester United in the summer, though the chief executive is adamant the club wants the captain to stay. The 31-year-old Fernandes was voted the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year after making a record-breaking 21 assists in the Premier League but has offered mixed messages about his future.
When asked if he believed Fernandes will stay, Berrada said: “We’d like him to stay, of course we do. He’s had a great season on the pitch but more importantly he’s shown to everybody that he is a great leader.” Fernandes’s contract expires next summer with an option for an extra 12 months, but in November he claimed he had been “hurt” by the club.
Berrada claimed that trust between the executive and staff has been rebuilt following two rounds of redundancies that left around 450 people unemployed. “It is true that the cost was very high for many people and it’s taken a while for the club to build back that trust,” he said.
He insisted United have a “clear plan” and will not allow market forces or agents to dictate their summer transfer plans. United are understood to have already agreed a £35m fee with Atalanta for the Brazilian midfielder Éderson with more additions expected.
The goalkeeper Tom Heaton has signed a new one-year contract at United, extending the third-choice goalkeeper’s career into a 21st season.
