Club captain has made it clear he wants to win the biggest trophies at Old Trafford
Bruno Fernandes has made his expectations clear to Manchester United as he heads into the final year of his contract: he wants to win.
The club captain has told United’s hierarchy that he wants assurances the team will be competitive in the coming seasons. Fernandes joined from Sporting in 2020 and is one of the team’s most influential players, but he is rightly frustrated with the club’s lack of success in the biggest competitions. All winners must be.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Fernandes said his priority is competing for major honours, referring of course to the Premier League and the Champions League.
“I tell the club I want to compete,” said Fernandes. “Everyone that comes to Man United wants to win every trophy. No one thinks in coming to the club that we’re going to fight for one or two trophies in six years. You want to fight for all of them.
“And what I said to the club every time that I spoke with them, what I want from the time I’m here, I want to compete. Because if I compete, I will be close to winning. If I don’t compete, there’s no chance I’m going to get close to anything.”
Despite his quality, Fernandes has won only two trophies during his time at United: the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. He views the return as below the standards expected at the club. The midfielder also pointed to the ongoing wait for a league title as a key concern. United have not won the Premier League since 2013.
Fernandes accepted that success cannot be guaranteed but said he expects a clear commitment from the club to challenge at the highest level.
“What I always say to the club is: ‘You can’t promise me that I’m going to win the Premier League. That’s impossible,” said Fernandes. “But if you promise me that we’re going to be competitive and we’re going to be there at the end.
“That’s all I need to know. Because then it’s on me to become the best version of myself, to help everyone around to become the best version of themselves, to become the club we want to be.”
