Bruno Fernandes is having his best season yet at Man Utd but his future could again be in the spotlight this summer.
Michael Carrick expects Bruno Fernandes to stay at Manchester United this summer after the attacking midfielder was voted the Football Writers’ Association’s player of the year for 2025/26.
Fernandes is enjoying his best season yet at Old Trafford, and he needs one assist to equal the Premier League record of 20, held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
The 31-year-old is in a league of his own when it comes to chances created, with his tally of 120 almost double that of his nearest challengers, Dominik Szoboszlai and Declan Rice.
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Fernandes is delivering his golden season after a summer in which he almost left United. He weighed up interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal after defeat in the Europa League final last May, and although he opted to stay at Old Trafford, he felt the club would have been happy to cash in on him.
United have made it clear this summer that they want Fernandes to stay and have no interest in selling, but he has a release clause of around £56million that could be triggered by clubs from abroad.
But United have secured a return to the Champions League and there is a sense of momentum building domestically, and Carrick believes Fernandes wants to be a part of that after a season in which he has shown he is as good as ever.
“I think Bruno, you can see he’s happy and he’s playing some fantastic football,” said Carrick. “Maybe he’s as good as he’s played ever and he’s had really good spells here. So he looks happy.
“I think he’s got a big end to the season here. He’s got a big summer, of course. But yeah, as a football club, we love having him here. He’s a big part of what we do.”
United hope that their ambitious recruitment plans this summer will show their captain they mean business when it comes to challenging in Europe and domestically.
Club bosses are eyeing at least two new midfielders, with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson the top target while there is interest in Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni, who has been disciplined at the Bernabeu after a fight with teammate Federico Valverde.
They are also monitoring Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers as part of a plan to sign another forward and will strengthen at left-back as well, and Carrick said discussions over recruitment are ongoing after Champions League football for next season was secured last week.
“Yeah, there’s always discussions going on, some informal, some smaller than others but there’s always discussions. There’s a lot to talk about,” said Carrick, who is still waiting to hear what his own future holds.
“Recruitment is the obvious one and when it gets to this time of year that’s what everyone wants to know about and understandably so. There’s a lot of work going on and it’s not just for me leading like that, there’s a lot going on, making plans for what the summer and beyond looks like.”
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