Fernandes drops worst ‘QUIT’ hint ever as Manchester United manager candidate Pochettino dismissed

Bruno Fernandes has rocked Manchester United on the eve of the FA Cup final by definitely hinting he might ‘QUIT’ – and not that ‘I don’t want to leave’.

QUIT while you’re ahead
Breaking news: Bruno Fernandes is still leaving Manchester United.

‘Bruno Fernandes drops biggest hint he could QUIT Man Utd as he tells club to match his ‘expectations” is the eye-catching headline on The Sun website, based on his words in The Players’ Tribune.

And to be fair, Fernandes – or at least someone with his express permission under his name – absolutely did write this:

I just want my expectations to fit with the expectations of the club. If you go talk to any fan, they will tell you the same thing. We want to compete for the league. We want to be playing Champions League football. We want to be in cup finals. That is the standard. That is what I want. That is what you all deserve.

If that is a hint he wishes to QUIT, it is not a particularly good one. Even less so when you consider the paragraph literally directly above that one in the actual column, which they completely ignore:

I love to step out at Old Trafford more than anything in the world. I don’t want to leave. This has always been my ultimate dream.

That right there is a man letting the world know he wants to QUIT.

The best bit might actually come at the end of The Sun’s article, when their Caps Lock strikes again. ‘THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY,’ they scream, as if Fernandes might be hastily adding a couple more lines at the bottom. NO IT ISN’T. And it never really has been.

MORE ON FERNANDES DEFINITELY LEAVING MANCHESTER UNITED
👉 Ranking Man Utd signings since Fergie: Fernandes untouchable and Antony 56th
👉 Bruno Fernandes gives worst ‘transfer ultimatum’ ever as Man Utd coverage goes mental

Look at this photograph
Having long since been fascinated/bored into delirium by the genre of stories which present kit reveals as some sort of ‘hint’ over a player’s future, rather than a contractual obligation arranged by PR instead of the managers or executives who make actual transfer decisions, Mediawatch did deeply enjoy the coverage of Marcus Rashford appearing in a photoshoot modelling the ‘M&S FA collection 2024’ alongside Aaron Ramsdale and Conor Gallagher.

‘Rashford makes M&S squad for England formalwear despite Southgate snub,’ shouts The Guardian, who add that Rashford was ‘presumably photographed before England manager, Gareth Southgate, announced his provisional squad’.

The Daily Telegraph go for ‘despite’ in the headline too – and this story really does feel entirely beneath James Ducker, who echoes the bizarre ‘photographed it seems before England manager Gareth Southgate announced his provisional 33-man squad’ line.

The MailOnline also try to keep up the pretence: ‘It is expected the shoot took place before Southgate’s squad announcement’.

And at this stage Mediawatch can only presume it has lost its entire mind. Of course the sodding photoshoot took place before the England squad announcement. That is obviously what happened. The players were revealed on Tuesday afternoon and the pictures were released early Thursday evening; is there any suggestion they waited to see the team, saw Rashford was omitted, dragged him in for some pictures anyway and hastily turned them around within two days? Is the idea that they simply assumed Rashford – who has made every major tournament squad under Southgate and been one of his most-used players – would be selected so preposterous?

It turns out that M&S were not clued in to Southgate’s Euros squad plans. How shocking.

Mediawatch cannot wait to see which players we have to pretend are definitely staying/leaving this summer because they have/haven’t modelled their current club’s kit, especially in light of this nonsense. Fernandes is a prime candidate either way just before he QUITS.

READ NEXT: How Manchester United could ruin Liverpool by selling them ‘lazy’ Rashford

Rash decision
Not that it ends there. Over on The Sun website, we get this:

The Manchester United star – usually a regular with Southgate – was not named in the provisional 33-man squad.

But it did not stop him from posing alongside Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale and Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher – both also picked.

‘It did not stop him’ because it was done before he was omitted. Stop being really silly.

And then the Daily Mirror website offers this:

First look at England’s M&S Euro 2024 clothing with Marcus Rashford hint dropped

There is no indication as to what that ‘hint’ actually was, for that word is not used at all in the story beyond the headline. But the only things being ‘dropped’ here is Rashford and, for some unknown reason, the concept of common sense.

Hotch Poch
On the sort of subject of England, this is absolutely sensational stuff from Andy Dunn on Mauricio Pochettino in the Daily Mirror:

There should be a sense of real surprise that he is seen as an alluring choice for Manchester United and England.

Why? Because of ‘his underwhelming time at’ Chelsea and a reputation which ‘remains so gilded despite so little material success’.

England’s literal current manager is Gareth actual Southgate.

And in 15 years as a manager – 649 matches with five clubs – Pochettino has a win percentage of 48.7, a figure boosted by a season and a half at PSG.

It is incredible work to caveat that win percentage on the basis of it being enhanced by a season and a half at PSG, while entirely ignoring the 221 combined games he managed at Espanyol and Southampton, two teams decidedly outside the elite.

For Spurs (who he helped as much as anyone to bring into that elite), Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, his win percentage is 56.1%. Bear that in mind when heading into the following paragraph…

The numbers for a random selection of other high-profile, modern-era managers? Jose Mourinho 61.9, Pep Guardiola 72.8, Carlo Ancelotti 59.2, Thomas Tuchel 57.3, Mikel Arteta 59.1, Unai Emery 53.2, Jurgen Klopp 54.4.

So Pochettino is comparable on that metric to some of the absolute best around? Got it.

It feels more than a bit weird that Dunn is rubbishing the idea Manchester United might be interested in Pochettino without mentioning Ten Hag’s name among those managers above. That would be a more relevant comparison, surely?

His win percentage, by the way, is 62.73%, a figure boosted by four and a half years at Ajax and two seasons with Bayern Munich’s reserves.

Pochettino has his flaws but let’s not pretend teams currently being managed by Southgate and Ten Hag should not even be considering his potential candidacy. He would make perfect sense for Manchester United.

Slight difference of opinion
‘Arsenal are facing the prospect of a nightmare Champions League draw after Atalanta were crowned as Europa League winners on Wednesday’ – Daily Mirror website.

‘Arsenal could be handed a Champions League nightmare draw – as a result of Atalanta’s Europa League triumph’ – The Sun website.

‘Arsenal face Champions League nightmare after Atalanta won the Europa League’ – Daily Express website.

‘Due to the new format, the draw would be no harder for Mikel Arteta’s side, though it could make things more difficult for their opponents, eight of whom will be dealt the Premier League runners-up’ – MailOnline.

Arsenal’s Group of Death went alright last season, to be fair.