Bruno Fernandes rejects second Man Utd offer, but club hold key option

Bruno Fernandes has rejected a second Manchester United contract offer, leaving his long-term future unresolved as Mauricio Pochettino prepares to take charge.

United still hold an option to extend their captain’s deal until June 2028. That gives the club protection against losing him for nothing next summer, provided they exercise it, Sky Sports reports.

Bruno Fernandes contract agreement still ‘far away’, says Romano

Fabrizio Romano says talks are continuing, but very little has changed since the summer.

“My understanding, guys, is that Bruno Fernandes and Manchester United’s situation is exactly the same since June,” he said on his YouTube channel. “Man United started this conversation with Bruno and with his agent at the beginning of June, even before the start of the World Cup.”

Romano said Fernandes had other options in the summer but chose to stay for this season.

“Bruno was really disappointed to see that now it’s November, and for Man United the season looks already very complicated,” Romano said. “At the moment, the conversations remain active, the conversations remain ongoing, but the agreement is still far away.”

The option and the January question

Fernandes is 32, and his current contract runs out at the end of the season. If United do not exercise their extension option, Fernandes could discuss a summer move with clubs abroad from January.

ESPN reports that United remain relaxed and confident a deal will be agreed, and club insiders are said to see the second rejection as a normal part of contract talks. According to the i Paper, Bayern Munich and several other European sides are monitoring his situation.

The Pochettino factor

Pochettino was confirmed as United’s new head coach on Friday on a two-and-a-half-year deal, and starts work on 18 November. He also has history with Fernandes: he tried to sign him for Tottenham in 2019.

Fernandes’s time under Michael Carrick was not straightforward. After United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como, he appeared to criticise Carrick’s tactics and was then left on the bench for the whole of the game against Bournemouth. The pair held clear-the-air talks, and he was recalled for the defeat at Chelsea. Fernandes later denied that he had fallen out with Carrick, according to Sky Sports.

According to the i Paper, Pochettino wants Fernandes as a central figure in his project and is prepared to adapt his tactics to get the best out of him.

Fernandes was the PFA Player of the Year last season after breaking the Premier League record with 21 assists, as United finished third. He remains the side’s main creative force, in a team that has won only one of its first ten league games and sits in the bottom three.

What Pochettino can and can’t change

Pochettino can influence Fernandes’s role and the team’s direction. He cannot settle the contract negotiations on his own.

United’s extension option gives them time, but it does not resolve the question of a longer agreement. The incoming coach’s task is to get the best from his captain while those discussions continue.

That work starts quickly. Pochettino’s first game in charge is away at Liverpool on Sunday 22 November, where United will need their captain at his best.

For more on the managerial change, the Guardian’s live coverage has the latest, and you can follow every twist on our Premier League hub.