‘I want play for major competitions': Bruno Fernandes on why he turned down Al Hilal
In a huge relief for Manchester United, their talismanic captain Bruno Fernandes has decided to remain at Old Trafford rather than going to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal. 'They waited for me to think about my future, because I said only if Manchester thought it was the time to move on, that I'd be willing to do so,' Fernandes said through an interpreter.
'I talked to the gaffer, Ruben Amorim, and at the time he asked me not to go. I then talked to Man United. They said they didn't want to sell me. If I wanted to go, I could, but they didn't need the money, they didn't need to sell me,' he added.
According to reports, Al Hilal was prepared to pay 100 million pounds (USD 135 million) to take the 30-year-old Fernandes from United while offering him a wage of 700,000 pounds (USD 946,000) per week to play for the Saudi Pro League team, which will compete in the Club World Cup this month in the United States.
'It was a very exciting offer. The president of Al Hilal, he was very nice to me. He talked to my manager but then I talked to my wife and as a family we wanted to see what I wanted to do. She asked me, what do you want to do with your future?' Fernandes said.
'I want play for major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most. And for better or worse, I'm still very passionate about football. This is how I see football. This is how I see my life and my future, and I'm happy about the decision I made,' he added.
United had a dismal Premier League season with the team finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.
'We had goals and we didn't meet them,' Fernandes said.
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