Bruno Fernandes exit mooted as Man United to sell ‘spoiled kids’
Chris Sutton has reacted to the possibility of Man United selling captain Bruno Fernandes to balance the books this summer.
The Portuguese playmaker is thought to be one of the highest earners at Old Trafford, having put pen to paper on a new deal until 2027 just last summer.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is currently cutting costs at Man United anywhere he can, seeing hundreds of staff lose their jobs at Old Trafford while underperforming players continue to make millions.
While Fernandes is often a controversial figure due to his attitude, there should be no doubts over his abilities after notching 89 goals and 78 assists in 271 for United.
Man United could consider selling Bruno Fernandes
Speaking via the It’s All Kicking Off podcast [24 February], Ladyman said: “We know Man United have got to sell someone in order to get on the right side of financial rules. Who’s their best player?
“Bruno Fernandes is the best player in a bad team. I wonder what he would be like in a good team. If I was a club out there, top of the Premier League, Saudi, or Spain, and I went to pick someone out of that Man United squad, it would be Bruno Fernandes.
“If they finish 13th, why would he want to stay? They’ve got to sell someone.”
Sutton responded: “Why would you want to sell your best player? You’d want to sell a couple of players who have behaved like spoiled kids.
“His age is an issue, and he’s not cheap. You’d always want to buy any club’s best player if they became available but the positives of keeping him outweigh the negatives.”
Ruben Amorim desperate for Man United rebuild
Football Insider verdict
Sources inside Old Trafford believe it could take Ratcliffe another three years to fix the current Man United mess, with £300million in transfer fees still owed.
Players like Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount continue to pick up a wage packet at the end of every month while the hard-working staff seem to be overlooked by the club’s hierarchy.
The manager will be desperate to put his own spin on the squad in the summer, but with failings on the pitch there for all to see, it has been suggested that Ruben Amorim already wants out of Man United.
A back three of Harry Maguire, Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt has struggled to understand how the new coach wants to set up, which was more than evident against Everton on Saturday (22 February).
| Premier League standings | Points |
| 14. Everton | 31 |
| 15. Man United | 30 |
| 16. West Ham | 30 |
| 17. Wolves | 22 |
The 2-2 draw at Goodison Park could have been even worse for the Red Devils had referee Andy Madley not reversed his decision on a last-gasp Everton penalty.
Things are not much better in the final third, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee doing nothing to warrant their price tags, recording five league goals between them this season.
United were dug out of the two-goal deficit by Fernandes and Ugarte, though many will feel a point on the road was undeserved against the Toffees.
It is clear that lots of changes need to happen under Amorim’s watch, and quickly, but that is unlikely to happen unless multiple stars are cut off from their wages this summer.