It is a sobering thought for everyone attached to Manchester United that Bruno Fernandes might not have been at Old Trafford this season.<\/p>\n
At the end of last season, club officials told the 31-year-old they would not stand in his way if he wanted to accept a huge offer from Saudi Pro-League club Al Hilal. Fernandes has spoken previously about the “hurt” he felt.<\/p>\n
After speaking to his family, he opted to stay, just as Wayne Rooney did after saying he wanted to leave in 2010, when all of Europe’s leading clubs coveted him.<\/p>\n
“I stayed because I thought I still had something that I can give back to the club,” said Fernandes.<\/p>\n
“Obviously the Saudi situation, with the money… there was a lot. The good thing I have in my family is that my wife is pretty down to earth like me.<\/p>\n
“We’re very aware that we don’t want to be the richest person in the world. We just want to be the ones that have achieved the dreams they had and live a good life with their kids and trying to be as successful as possible.<\/p>\n
“The words of my wife were like, ‘have you achieved your dreams? Have you achieved everything you wanted?’.<\/p>\n
“And that small thing she said made me understand that she’s on the same page as me. Let’s keep trying and see where this takes me.”<\/p>\n
There was also a sense of trying to lift the club from their 15th-place finish last season – the worst since their 1973-74 relegation campaign.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t want to leave the club at the point where we were struggling,” he said.<\/p>\n
With a year left on his contract, there is uncertainty over Fernandes’ position at the club. Given his performances this season, it would be remarkable if United do not come up with a huge new deal, even if co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trying to drive down wage costs.<\/p>\n
What is certain is Fernandes’ determination to lift the biggest trophies remains undimmed.<\/p>\n
“I want to win the Premier League,” he said. “I want to win the Champions League. I never hide from that.”<\/p>\n
Listen to the full interview with Bruno Fernandes on The Wayne Rooney Show<\/a><\/p>\n