Bruno Fernandes reportedly cried when his transfer to Tottenham was called off in the summer of 2019. The now-Manchester United captain was desperate to play in the Premier League and hoped that Sporting would negotiate a deal with the north Londoners.
Fernandes had emerged as one of Europe’s top playmakers in the late 2010s. Keen to build on their Champions League final appearance under Mauricio Pochettino, the Portugal star had been identified as someone who could make Spurs title contenders.
It is widely understood that Spurs successfully negotiated a fee for Fernandes. However, the structure of the deal was never agreed and the midfielder remained in Portugal for six months.
The following January, Fernandes joined United and the rest is history. But there was a time when he was crestfallen over his failed move to Spurs. Some sources at Spurs claim that he cried in his chairman’s office when he realised that the transfer would not go through.
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“That felt a bit typical at the time,” an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told the Daily Mail. “When push came to shove, the club didn’t get it done. Then the same thing happened with Luis Diaz at Porto. He ended up at Liverpool.”
Fernandes quickly became a fans’ favourite at Old Trafford after sealing a £60million switch to United in January 2020. He has been one of only a few Red Devils stars who might have fit into the Premier League-winning teams of the past five years.
The 30-year-old has made 259 appearances for United, scoring 85 goals and providing 76 assists. An outspoken leader and a fiery character on the pitch, Fernandes has split opinion among pundits and fans of other clubs.
Fernandes inherited the captaincy from Harry Maguire at the start of the 2023-24 season. He was a rare consistent performer under Erik ten Hag and built an excellent relationship with the Dutchman. The United No. 8 even suggested that he and his team-mates should take responsibility for Ten Hag’s sacking in October.
It remains to be seen where Fernandes fits into Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation in the long term. He has been used as a central midfielder in a double pivot, and as one of the two No. 10s behind the centre-forward.
Neither role seems an entirely natural fit for Fernandes, but it remains the case that he will view his failed move to Spurs as a sliding-doors moment. He has been United’s best player for five years.
