Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has revealed he nearly signed for Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspurs before eventually making the move to Old Trafford in January 2020.
Bruno was extremely influential during his time in Liga NOS with Sporting Lisbon, racking up 63 goals and 50 assists in just 137 appearances for the Portuguese side.
Off the back of his impressive form in Lisbon, Bruno remembers Spurs making an approach for him. At the time, Spurs were under the management of Mauricio Pochettino and had just fell short in the UEFA Champions League, losing to Liverpool in the final.
Speaking to The Athletic, Bruno revealed: “Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me.”
The current Man United playmaker then recalls how he responded to not getting his move to North London, saying “The president (Frederico Varandas) spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry. Luckily for me, the manager (Marcel Keizer) was the right one at the right time.”
Marcel Keizer, manager of Sporting at the time, understood Bruno’s frustration at not getting to fulfil his dream of playing in the Premier League. However, Keizer knew how important Bruno was to his squad and convinced the midfielder to do his best for the Club.
Keizer was sacked soon after, being the first domino to fall in what resulted in Bruno eventually getting his move to the PL a few months later.
Since arriving in Manchester in January 2020 for £47million, Bruno has been integral to United’s periods of good form. The Portuguese International has contributed to 51 goals and 40 assists in 134 appearances for the Red Devils. He has even gone on to captain the team on multiple occasions, such is his influence and importance to this Manchester United side.