Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United’s captain and standout performer this season, has said he’s open to leaving the club if it helps them financially reset and rebuild following their Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur.
United fell 1-0 to Spurs in Wednesday’s final at San Mames stadium in Bilbao, with Brennan Johnson’s goal sealing their fate.
The defeat marked a disappointing end to a troubled season for the Red Devils.
After the match, manager Ruben Amorim offered to step down without any compensation if the club no longer wanted him at the helm.
Following suit, Fernandes, 30, signaled his willingness to do the same for the sake of the club’s future.
“I have always been honest. I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go,” Fernandes said.
“I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days. On the day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it.”
“But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way. If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it is what it is and football sometimes is like this.”
Despite being a key figure throughout the campaign, Fernandes was unable to leave his mark during the final against Tottenham, leaving the squad and fans alike heartbroken.
Reflecting on the loss, Fernandes called it a painful moment for the team.
“We wanted to win more than anything in this final,” he said. “It’s a very sad day because we’ve done some very good things in this competition until today.
“But today (Wednesday) was the day that mattered, the most important day of the competition. It was the day we could have been in the history of the Europa League, but it’s not like that. And football is cruel, and it’s been our turn to lose.”
Fernandes, who has been with United since 2020, also backed Amorim to continue as manager despite the team’s poor domestic record since his arrival in November. United sit 16th in the Premier League with just six wins under his leadership.
“We (the players) just agreed that he’s the right man,” Fernandes stated. “He has done a lot of good things. We know that the manager is looked at by the results.
“Obviously we see more than that as players. We know for everyone it will be about him bringing back the positivity in the club.
“To try to bring the club back to fight for trophies, fight for the big trophies. And we all agree that he’s the right man.”
