Manchester United have signed a new contract to extend captain and ace Bruno Fernandes’ contract by one year.
With Fernandez’s renewal, rumors of his transfer are expected to calm down for the time being.
Manchester United announced the renewal of its contract with Fernandez on its official website on the 15th (Korea Standard Time), saying, “Brunu Fernandez has signed a new contract with Manchester United to extend his contract until June 30, 2027, and he has the option to extend it for another year.”
“Everyone knows the passion I have for Manchester United. I understand the responsibility and importance of wearing this shirt, and I understand the level of commitment and aspiration needed to have this amazing club,” Fernandes said. “I’ve already had a lot of special moments here. But I wouldn’t have signed this contract if I didn’t believe I could have the best moment in my Manchester United jersey.”
“Through discussions with management and coaches, it became clear how strong everyone is willing to fight for major trophies in the coming years. I can see how positive the future will be and I’m happy to lead this team forward,” he said.
Fernandez signed a three-year contract with Manchester United because he broke the existing contract and signed a new one. The contract can be extended to four years depending on whether the option to extend one year is invoked.
However, compared to the previous contract, it has been extended by one year. Fernandez signed a four-year contract in 2022 to extend the contract to 2026. Existing contracts could also be extended to 2027 because there was an option to extend it by one year at the time. It can be said that the guaranteed contract has actually increased by one year.
The salary increase is also included. Although it is not known in detail because the player’s weekly salary has not been announced, according to the British media “Talk Sports,” Fernandez’s weekly salary is on par with Marcus Rashford’s 350,000-pound weekly salary.
It is a considerable increase considering Fernandez’s previous salary. According to the weekly statistics media “CAPology,” Fernandez is paid 240,000 pounds per week.
Fernandez is the best player in Manchester United, so it is natural to give him the highest salary.
Manchester United recruited Fernandez, who plays for Sporting CP in Portugal, in January 2020. He showed outstanding creativity and offensive productivity in the Portuguese league, playing as the best player in the league, and also played well for the Portuguese national team. Manchester United invested a huge amount of 55 million euros (about 82.4 billion won) to recruit him.
Manchester United’s recruitment of Fernandez is considered the most successful recruitment in recent years.
Even though he joined Manchester United during the 2019-20 season, he was completely integrated with the club from the first season. He played mostly as an attacking midfielder and only played half a season, but he played in 22 games, boasting a tremendous record of 12 goals and eight assists.
Another strength of Fernandez was that he had no major injuries. He played more than 46 games every season for the next four seasons, becoming an ace of steel. His record at Manchester United was also great. He played in 234 games for Manchester United, scoring 79 goals and 67 assists.
According to Manchester United, since Fernandez joined the team, he has become a player who has created more opportunities than any other Premier League player. There were times when his teammates could not score and were not recognized as help, but his performance was consistent without any ups and downs.
His loyalty to Manchester United is one of the reasons why he enjoys fans’ support. He always showed his affection for the team when he replaced Harry Maguire as captain in July last year.
He vowed not to leave Manchester City even after winning the 2023-2024 English FA Cup final against Manchester City last season.
“I want to stay at Manchester United,” he said. “They know my intention. I want to keep lifting trophies here or at least keep competing until the last minute,” he said, expressing his desire to end his career at Manchester United. 안전놀이터
Manchester United considered the sale of Fernandez, a captain with great loyalty. Because Manchester United’s financial situation was not good, there was also a plan to sell Fernandez to make the shortfall.
“Fernandez was not included in the list of ‘untouchable’ players that Manchester United did not accept this summer’s transfer offer,” British ‘BBC’ reported. “There was a high possibility that sales would be made for bids that the club judged they could not refuse, but it did not materialize.”
There was also a high possibility of his transfer. “Fernandez said he received a detailed offer to leave Manchester United before extending his contract with Manchester United,” global sports media ESPN said. “Fernandez said he could have left the club this summer.”
Manchester United will be with Fernandez for at least three years. Fernandez also garnered one assist in the Community Shield match against Manchester City, the first game of the 2024-25 season, raising expectations for his stellar performance in the new season.