Latest news with #RubenNeves
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fernandes opens up on decision to snub Saudi move
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has opened up on his decision to turn down a transfer to the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal made an approach to sign Fernandes with the Saudi side offering the midfielder a lucrative contract. Fernandes was targeted as a marquee arrival ahead of this summer's Club World Cup, with Al-Hilal prepared to offer a fee in the region of £100m for the Portugal international. The 30-year-old rejected the move, however, insisting he wants to continue playing at the 'highest level'. Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 20 assists despite a difficult campaign for Manchester United, who missed out on European qualification. Advertisement The midfielder has now opened up on his decision to reject the move, insisting that football factors outweighed the financial reward. He admitted it would have been 'easy' to join Al-Hilal, given the lucrative proposal and presence of Portugal teammates Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves at the club. 'There was an opportunity,' Fernandes said at a Portugal press conference ahead of their Nations League semi-final with Germany on Wednesday. 'The [Al-Hilal] president called me and asked if I wanted to go there. They were waiting for me. I spoke to coach [Ruben] 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. Advertisement 'It was 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.' Read – The Premier League transfer stories to watch this week See more – The most expensive transfers in Saudi Pro League history Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Bruno Fernandes sent message by former Premier League star over Al-Hilal transfer as Man Utd star remains in talks
AN ex-Premier League star has encouraged Bruno Fernandes to join him at Al-Hilal. The Manchester United captain's agent Miguel Pinho held talks over a 2 Bruno Fernandes remains in talks with Al-Hilal Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 2 Ruben Neves wants the Man Utd captain to join him in Saudi Arabia Credit: Getty The amount could still increase with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming the club will do "whatever it takes" to get their "top target". Talks with both Al-Hilal and READ MORE ON MAN UTD A move to the Riyadh-based side would see him become team-mates with ex-Premier League aces Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kalidou Koulibaly. And Portuguese compatriot Neves is keen for Fernandes to join him. Asked about conversations with him, the former Wolves captain told O Jogo: "I recommend any player who is in the national team. "We have a lot of talent. We are lucky in that aspect. A small country, but with excellent players, just yesterday four won the Champions League. That makes any child dream. Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "I would like to have any player from the national team in my team." Neves left Wolves in 2023 for £47m and he reportedly pockets £15.6m-a-year in Saudi. Bruno Fernandes enjoys dinner with Al-Hilal 'secret agent' Joao Cancelo as he faces Man Utd exit decision His comments come after Fernandes was spotted having It is likely a reunion at Al-Hilal was on the menu as fans think the old Manchester City star was "playing agent". Asked if Man Utd's post-season friendly against Hong Kong last Friday was Fernandes' farewell game, Ruben Amorim replied: ' 'He is seeing us taking some actions to change all the things and I think that is all that he wants to stay. 'He's saying 'no' to a lot of things, but it shows that he wants to win. "He's really young, he's really good. He needs to be in the best league in the world.' Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Bruno Fernandes sent message by former Premier League star over Al-Hilal transfer as Man Utd star remains in talks
AN ex-Premier League star has encouraged Bruno Fernandes to join him at Al-Hilal. The Manchester United captain's agent Miguel Pinho held talks over a mega-money move to the Saudi Arabian club last week. 2 Al-Hilal reckon they can get the Red Devils to sell for £100m and offer the player a three-year tax-free deal worth £200m. The amount could still increase with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming the club will do "whatever it takes" to get their "top target". Talks with both Al-Hilal and Man Utd are set to continue this week. Fernandes is reportedly "seriously considering" leaving Old Trafford. A move to the Riyadh-based side would see him become team-mates with ex- Premier League aces Ruben Neves, Joao Cancelo, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Kalidou Koulibaly. And Portuguese compatriot Neves is keen for Fernandes to join him. Asked about conversations with him, the former Wolves captain told O Jogo: "I recommend any player who is in the national team. "We have a lot of talent. We are lucky in that aspect. A small country, but with excellent players, just yesterday four won the Champions League. That makes any child dream. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "I would like to have any player from the national team in my team." Neves left Wolves in 2023 for £47m and he reportedly pockets £15.6m-a-year in Saudi. dinner with Cancelo. It is likely a reunion at Al-Hilal was on the menu as fans think the old Manchester City star was "playing agent". Asked if Man Utd's post-season friendly against Hong Kong last Friday was Fernandes' farewell game, Ruben Amorim replied: ' I don't know for sure, nobody knows, but I don't think so. 'He is seeing us taking some actions to change all the things and I think that is all that he wants to stay. 'He's saying 'no' to a lot of things, but it shows that he wants to win. "He's really young, he's really good. He needs to be in the best league in the world.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Former Premier League star and Al-Hilal player sends message to Bruno Fernandes as Man United captain weighs up Saudi mega-move
A former Premier League star who made a move to the Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal has sent a message to Bruno Fernandes as talk of the Man United midfielder doing the same thing intensifies. Fernandes' agent, Miguel Pinho, held face-to-face talks with Al-Hilal officials at the Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh this past week, in what was described by sources as a 'positive' meeting. Al-Hilal are said to have offered Fernandes a staggering financial package worth up to £200million over three years, including bonuses. As part of the deal, the Saudi giants are prepared to quadruple Fernandes' current weekly wage of £280,000 to a tax-free sum of £700,000. If the 30-year-old gives the green light then the Saudi club are expected to submit a formal bid in the region of £100m to United, who continue to insist they do not want to sell. Ruben Neves joined Al-Hilal from Wolves two years ago and plays alongside Fernandes in the Portugal national team. And he has encouraged his compatriot to follow in his footsteps. 'I recommend all the players in the national team, of course,' he told A Bola. 'Fortunately, Portugal has produced a lot of talent and continues to do so. We are a lucky country in that respect. 'We are also very hard-working. A very small country but one that has produced excellent players. 'Just yesterday we saw four of our players (Gonçalo Ramos , Joao Neves , Nuno Mendes and Vitinha) lift the Champions League. 'It is an excellent sign for Portugal . I would like to have any player from the national team in my team.'
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
ACL Elite: Can the RSL reign supreme in Jeddah?
The eyes of the Asian continent will be on Jeddah across the next week and a half as the city on the shores of the Red Sea plays host to the AFC Champions League Elite Finals 2025. Asia's premier club competition underwent a major overhaul this season, the most significant change being that all matches from the quarter-finals onwards would be staged in a centralised location across eight action-packed days to determine the continental kings. Advertisement The Kingdom was selected as host for this groundbreaking mini-tournament, which features three Roshn Saudi League sides among its four West Zone representatives: Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli. Qatar's Al complete the quarter. That four are joined by the same number of clubs from the East Zone: Japan's Kawasaki Frontale and Yokohama South Korea's Gwangju FC and Buriram United of Thailand. The action kicks off on Friday, setting in motion a major focus on the RSL entrants to see if they can keep the trophy in the Kingdom for the third time in six seasons after Al Hilal's successes in 2019 and 2021. The RSL champions will be hoping to continue their incredible recent run having made the final in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022. Jorge Jesus' men, second in the 2024-25 RSL, get the quarter-finals under way at Alinma Stadium on Friday when they face surprise package Gwangju FC. Advertisement However, Al Hilal find themselves in the somewhat unfamiliar position of a rut: they have won only five of their past 11 matches in all competitions, including four defeats. Two of those came in the Saudi Clasico against RSL title rivals Al Ittihad, and in the Capital Derby with Al Nassr. Other dropped points, in the draws with Al Ettifaq and Al Shabab, has left Al Hilal, record-breaking title winners last season, six points off leaders Al Ittihad with five rounds remaining. Perhaps a change in focus, though, is exactly what they need. Winning the AFC Champions League Elite is almost the raison d'être for Al Hilal; their four titles to date is the most of any club in Asia. Undeniably, they know what it takes to be successful in this competition. They know, also, that they cannot take Gwangju lightly after the South Koreans dispatched Japanese heavyweights Vissel Kobe in the last 16, overturning a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to prevail 3-2 on aggregate. Advertisement 'It will be a difficult match at the best of times because you can never take any match as easy, but we are enthusiastic to win the match and the competition,' Al Hilal's star midfielder Ruben Neves said on Thursday. 'We will have to do our best to improve because this competition is on another level and there won't be time for correction due to the closeness of the fixtures. So we must be ready.' If Al Hilal can navigate their way past the Korean outfit, a possible match-up with Al Ahli awaits in the semi-final. While all RSL sides will have a form of home advantage, for Al Ahli, it rings even truer. Playing in their home city, it certainly gives them a significant advantage as they prepare to face Thailand's Buriram United in their quarter-final on Saturday. Advertisement It's been a mixed domestic campaign for Matthias Jaissle's men, who have had to play catch up after a slow start. Still, with Matchweek 29 of the RSL season in the books, they sit fourth, two points of Al Nassr in third and four back from Al Hilal. Yet, in Asia, Al Ahli have been almost flawless. To this juncture, they remain unbeaten, winning nine of 10 matches thus far. With Riyad Mahrez his usual, influential self, and Ivan Toney among the goals, Al Ahli boast the firepower to power them to the title. It's not just in attack where they are strong, however: with 29 goals conceded, they boast the best defensive record of any top-four team in the RSL this season - and second in the division overall. Turkish international Merih Demiral has been at the heart of that backline and, only this week, promised Al Ahli fans that their team would leave no stone unturned to bring continental success to the club. Advertisement 'Every game is important for us, but Champions League is always different,' Demiral said after Tuesday's 3-2 RSL win at Al Wehda. 'Our fans expect a lot from us, and we will give everything to win the title. Although in football you never know, we are sure that we are going to give everything.' That said, when it comes to firepower, few can match what Al Nassr have to offer. Despite turning 40 in January, Cristiano Ronaldo has wound back the clock this season, the capital club's captain not only leading the RSL golden boot race (23 goals), but he has seven goals in Asia, too. Alongside Colombian rising star Jhon Duran, and in-form former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, Al Nassr possess arguably the most potent attack of any team in the competition. And, with five wins from their past six in all competitions, they are finding form at the right time. Advertisement Not since Al Nassr won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup in 1998 have the club found success on the continent. Up first for them this time round are last season's runners-up, Yokohama who come into the quarter-finals bottom in the and having just dismissed manager Steve Holland. Therefore, the stage is set, not just for Al Nassr but all three RSL clubs. An entire continent's attention - and even further afield - will be on Jeddah to see which team will be crowned this year's conquerors of Asia.
