‘I’m not saying no’ – Man Utd star open to Brazil transfer; striker explains why he rejected Old Trafford move

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes won’t rule out a move to Brazil at some point his career as he finds the leagues “very interesting”.

The Red Devils signed the Portugal international from Sporting Lisbon in 2020 for an initial €55m with another €25m potentially arriving in add-ons.

Fernandes, who was criticised for his performance against Tottenham on Saturday, has made a huge impact at Old Trafford with the 28-year-old contributing 64 goals and 54 assists in 187 matches in all competitions.

There is no chance Fernandes leaves Man Utd in the near future but the Portuguese midfielder has expressed an interest in the Brazilian leagues and won’t rule out a move there in the future.

Fernandes told ESPN Brasil: “Whenever I can, I follow it, because I find Brazilian football attractive, electric football, with a lot of quality, joy, very one-on-one.

“It’s pure football. And I think that now, with the coaches that are there, not only the Portuguese, but also Brazilians, are increasingly developing in the tactical part.

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“I don’t really like talking about the distant future, but it’s like I said. It’s attractive football, very interesting. The only thing is that the trips are very long there in Brazil (laughs).

“There are many competitions, many clubs that play Libertadores and Sudamericana, very good competitions. I’m not saying no, because Brazilian football is very attractive, and we never know the future.”

HJK Helsinki forward Hassane Bande turned down a move to Man Utd earlier in his career to move to Eredivisie giants instead.

After scoring 11 goals in 25 league appearances for Dutch side Mechelen, Bande was linked to some of the biggest clubs in Europe in 2018, including Man Utd, but eventually opted to move to Ajax in an €8.25m deal.

A horrific leg injury saw him miss 65 matches for Ajax with the Burkina Faso international spending over a year out.

However, he fell out with Erik ten Hag on his return and was soon put into the Under-21s with the Dutchman sending him out on a couple of loan deals before he eventually left for French side Amiens in 2022.

He has now arrived at HJK Helsinki in the prime years of his career and Bande has explained why he turned down Man Utd for Ajax.

“I still had a lot to learn and knew that I would get more opportunities in Amsterdam than at a top club like United,” Bande told Voetbal International.

On his relationship with current Man Utd boss Ten Hag, Bande added: “His English wasn’t that good yet and neither was mine. That was a problem.

“It was hard to accept (the injury). As a new player I wanted to prove myself. I hadn’t even played an official minute yet.”