Aleksandar Mitrovic misses Al-Hilal training due to irregular heartbeat
Sport Football
Al-Hilal's next game is on Tuesday when they play Pakhtakor in their AFC Champions League last-16 second leg.
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Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Bruno Fernandes receives telling message from ex-Man Utd star after £300m snub
A former Manchester United star has reacted after Bruno Fernandes rejected a big-money move to Al-Hilal after the Saudi outfit made a staggering £300million offer Bruno Fernandes has been praised by former Manchester United star Ben Foster for snubbing a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. The United skipper disclosed this week that he had rejected the chance to exit Old Trafford for Al-Hilal. The decision came despite the Saudi Pro League club's willingness to fork out an eye-watering £300million package, which included £100m for United and a £200m contract for the Portuguese midfielder. The 30-year-old playmaker turned down the offer after stating his desire to maintain his career "at the highest level". Ex-United goalkeeper Ben Foster has now voiced his joy at Fernandes' decision to stay put, despite questioning his sanity with a tongue-in-cheek remark. Sharing his thoughts via his Cycling GK Instagram account, the ex-Wrexham shot-stopper said: "I'm so happy about it, because it just goes to show that some footballers actually do it for the love of the game - it's not all about money." "Not only that, we want to see the best players playing in the Premier League week in, week out, and Bruno Fernandes is one of those players." Speaking directly to Fernandes, Foster said: "Bruno, I don't know whether you're a little bit mad or just madly in love with football, either way, I love it, mate. I'm all over it and looking forward to watching you playing in the Premier League next season." Fernandes revealed at a press conference on Tuesday why he turned down a move to Al-Hilal as United plan for a rebuild under manager Ruben Amorim. Speaking while on international duty with Portugal, he said: "There was an opportunity. The [Al-Hilal] president called me and asked if I wanted to go there. "They were waiting for me. I spoke to coach Amorim. He asked me not to go. Manchester United didn't want to sell me. They don't need the money. If I had wanted to leave, they would have made it happen. "It [would have been] an easy move, even at a family level. I had João Cancelo there, my children are used to playing with him in the national team. We have a great friendship. But I want to maintain myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it." After a disappointing season which saw United finish 15th in the Premier League, Amorim, who succeeded Erik Ten Hag last November, is aiming to revamp his squad. The club has already made one major signing after bringing in Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5million, while interest has also been shown in Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. Ex-United defender Gary Neville has lauded Fernandes' commitment to the club during a challenging period. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "He's so important. It would have been easy for him at the end of this season to say, 'Look, I'm done here'. This will endear him towards Manchester United fans even more. "To turn that money down at a point where Manchester United are at their lowest ebb and say, 'No, I want to fight through this, I want to see it through the other side, I want to come out and achieve things', I think it says a lot about him as a person, as a character. The club needs people who are going to run through a brick wall for them." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Victor Osimhen transfer twist as £59m decision made on Man Utd target
Victor Osimhen is the subject of major interest from Manchester United, Galatasaray and Al-Hilal, with the striker now choosing to snub a move to one of those three clubs Victor Osimhen has rejected a move to Al-Hilal in a potential boost to Manchester United's hopes of signing the striker. Osimhen spent the season on loan at Galatasaray, firing them to the Turkish Super Lig and Turkish Cup double. He also previously starred for Napoli as they won the Serie A title back in 2023. But his career in Naples is over, with the Italian side keen to sell him this summer as he enters the final year of his contract. Gala are keen to bring him back to Istanbul on a permanent basis. But they faced a serious challenge from Hilal, who have cash to spent after missing out on the Saudi Pro League title this season. Hilal have just appointed Simeone Inzaghi as their new manager, fresh from leading Inter Milan to their second Champions League final in three years. They are able to call on bigger spending power than their Turkish rivals. But United are also sizing up a move for the 26-year-old as they continue to rebuild Ruben Amorim's squad. And in a huge boost for their hopes, it appears that Hilal's move for the Nigerian international is dead in the water. Hilal had submitted a £59million bid to Napoli for Osimhen and were waiting for the Italian club to respond. They were also prepared to hand the striker a bumper salary of £21m per year plus bonuses. But Osimhen has now rejected that, dashing Hilal's dreams of bringing the striker to the Middle East. Galatasaray have now moved into pole position and are trying to complete a deal. They have offered Osimhen a salary of £17.7m per year and are racing to get him to put pen to paper. Gala boss Okan Buruk has admitted he expects to count on Osimhen in his squad next season. Buruk said recently: "Osimhen is important... He is positive and loves this place very much. He did not say goodbye to anyone after the last match. If he had the intention of leaving, his behavior would have been different. I see him as 51 percent staying." Osimhen himself insisted towards the end of the season that he had made a decision on his future. But the striker refused to give a definitive answer as he looked to help Gala wrap up the title. 'The rumour is going around about me linked with the Premier League. Of course, when you're one of the hottest strikers in the world you expect this type of thing, it's one of the biggest and best leagues in the world," he said. 'For me, I'm with Napoli, signed a new contract and enjoying my time there with the team, at the end of the season I've already made up my mind, I already know what I want to do in my career. 'Since I've started, I've been the one making my own decisions on everything and it's working out well for me. I already know the next step I want to take so for now I just want to finish the season strong.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Fernandes turned down Saudi riches - but Man Utd skipper still did club wrong
Probably - no, definitely - the most interesting five minutes of the recent Europa League final in Bilbao came soon after the last whistle of a truly abject football match. Bruno Fernandes, to his credit, fronted up as he always does. Unsolicited, in front of a knot of reporters in the bowels of Estadio de San Mamés following the loss to Spurs, he suggested he would understand if Manchester United wanted to sell him and move on without him. At that point, any elite club worth its salt might well have thought long and hard about selling him and moving on. This is Manchester United we are talking about. For all his foibles on the field, Fernandes is a good guy. Off the pitch, he represents United brilliantly, speaks well and comes across as a fine captain. He is a good guy and a very good player. But for him to now be lauded for deciding to stay at Old Trafford is not the best reflection of what the club has become. Re-reading his explanation of the dalliance with Al-Hilal - whoever they are - it is hard to believe his commitment to United is as rock-solid as everyone makes out. 'The president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about the possibility of moving there,' he said. Which, in my old-fashioned mind, constitutes an illegal approach. Which, in my old-fashioned mind, is tapping up. And, in my old-fashioned mind, it should have elicited a response along the lines of…'mate, if you want to sign me, talk to the club that has given me a contract worth £300,000 a week for the next two years'. Phone down. Yes, tapping up has gone on since the dawn of professional football but this was still a bizarre way of doing things. To have your captain and star player in discussions with another club while under contract is just odd. Unless, of course, United gave him permission, which does not seem likely. Fernandes, apparently, had to 'wait a while to think about the future'. After all, the president of Al-Hilal was, Fernandes said, 'a fantastic person'. In the end, his wife and Ruben Amorim helped convince Fernandes that his immediate future did not belong to Saudi Arabia. Which, considering he has been a decent player in a terrible United team in recent seasons, is, on the face of it, a good thing for the club. But this should never have been an issue. That Fernandes took the call from Saudi when under contract at United, that he seriously considered the move, is still a slight against what remains an iconic institution. Openly, Fernandes has happily admitted to talking to a Saudi Arabian club while being under contract at Manchester United. That is just wrong. And don't forget, as good as Fernandes has been - and he is a smashing footballer - he is still the leader of a very mediocre Manchester United team. He is still a part of failure. There are many strange elements of the whole Fernandes-Saudi saga. Let's face it, if Al-Hilal had actually tabled an offer of £100million for a player who soon turns 31, would United really have pleaded with a captain - a captain who led his team to only 11 Premier League wins in one season - to stay? For a multi-billionaire, Sir Jim Ratcliffe sometimes seems daft … but not that daft. Fernandes is a rare talent. But as skipper of a side that needs total transformation, it might have been best, all round, if he had taken up an offer that he clearly gave serious consideration to. And I suspect he, and the club, knows it. Sky has slashed the price of its bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more. Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
