Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has revealed he was ‘really angry’ after he was not allowed to move to Tottenham Hotspur when he was at Sporting Lisbon.
In January of 2020, Fernandes moved to Old Trafford in a deal worth £47 million. But he has now revealed that he was close to joining Spurs before his move to Manchester.
Spurs were interested in Fernandes back in the summer of 2019 after the midfielder was named the Primeira Liga’s player of the year. However, Spurs failed to conclude the deal as they did not match Sporting’s valuation.
Fernandes has now spoken about the failed move.
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He told The Athletic: “Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me.
“The president [Frederico Varandas] spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry. Luckily for me, the manager [Marcel Keizer] was the right one at the right time.”
However, Fernandes did not have to wait too long to move to English football as United snapped him up in January of 2020.
The Portuguese made an instant impact at United as he scored eight goals and provided seven assists in his first 14 games as a Red Devil.
In his first full season with the Old Trafford club, Fernandes was one of the stand out performers in Europe as he racked up 28 goals across all competitions and was a vital part of the United side who reached the Europa League final.
As a result, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.
The 21/22 season was one to forget for Fernandes and his United teammates. However, with Erik ten Hag now in charge, things are starting to improve after a tricky start to the campaign.
Fernandes spoke about Ten Hag, he said: “First of all, he has an idea. He has a style. You have to follow his rules. He is strict on that. And I like that.
“He has brought discipline, which is something I think we missed in the past. Everyone must be on the same page. That is what Pep (Guardiola) and (Jurgen) Klopp have been doing for years, because they have stability in the club and in the way they choose the transfer market and build the team, which is really important for them to get the rewards.”
Fernandes added: “We still have a margin to improve and he needs time to get the most out of us with his idea of playing. I believe we will get to the point with him where we are established as a team and everyone is on the same page.”
SPORTbible Stories is the brand-new podcast from the SPORT team at LADbible. The first episode features a chat with former Burnley manager Sean Dyche as he opens up on his departure from Turf Moor, what the future holds and the amazing story of the spin wheel for fines while in charge of the Clarets. You can watch the first episode here.
Topics: Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur
Marcus Chan