Man Utd decide to ‘make shock Fernandes U-turn’ as ‘surprise exit’ mooted for Red Devils team-mate
Manchester United have reportedly made a ‘shock U-turn’ on captain Bruno Fernandes after he was linked with a summer move to the Saudi Pro League.
Fernandes has had his critics this season as he’s not been less effective from deep than in an attacking role, but he has plenty of credit in the bank.
Man Utd endured a woeful season in 2024/25 as they failed to win a trophy and finished 15th in the Premier League, but Fernandes could hold his head high as he was comfortably their top performer.
Despite this, Fernandes could have left Man Utd in the summer as he attracted serious interest from Al-Hilal as they looked to finalise their Club World Cup squad.
It was reported that Al-Hilal were willing to pay around £100m to sign Fernandes, with Man Utd leaving it up to the centre-midfielder to decide on his future.
READ: The one ‘ridiculous’ mistake Amorim keeps repeating which could ‘cost’ him his job at Man Utd
There were conflicting reports on Fernandes’ exit stance until it was revealed that he wanted to remain at Man Utd for the 2025/26 campaign.
However, reports linking Fernandes with a potential move to the Saudi Pro League are not going away, with it recently claimed that clubs are on ‘high alert’ regarding a January transfer.
Now, a report from Football Insider claims Man Utd have ‘made a shock-U-turn’ on Fernandes as they are ‘tempted’ to sanction his move to the Middle East.
Former chief scout Mick Brown, who ‘remains very well-connected within the game’, has explained why he thinks Fernandes could leave Man Utd in 2026.
“I don’t think they’re ruling anything out,” Brown told Football Insider.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd: Scholes identifies boss he ‘definitely’ wants to replace Amorim as they’ll ‘get beat’ by Liverpool
👉 Senne Lammens: Schmeichel and Man Utd setting another young player up for Old Trafford downfall
👉 Top ten Premier League defectors features more players from Liverpool than Man Utd
“Let’s assume they’re ninth, tenth, around mid table come the end of the season and it doesn’t look like they’re going to achieve anything, they might not have a choice.
“If an offer of around £100million comes in for Fernandes, they might decide it’s time to cash in. It’s certainty something that will be tempting for them, that amount of money.
“Then they could go and look at some of their targets to strengthen the squad with that money coming in, because it’s an area they feel they could improve.
“A lot will depend on how they perform this season, because if they do well, perhaps get into Europe, then he will have been a key part of that.
“If they don’t, then the club could look to move in a different direction and I’m sure it’s something he’d be open to as well.”
Joshua Zirkzee is another Man Utd star linked with an exit in 2026 as he has only been a bit-part player for the Red Devils at the start of this campaign.
United opted to keep Zirkzee and offload Rasmus Hojlund in the summer, though the Dutchman has been impacted by the arrival of Benjamin Sesko.
Now, another report from Football Insider says Zirkzee could secure a ‘surprise exit’ in January as West Ham are ‘interested’ in signing him, though they face competition from Juventus and Como.
