Paul Ince says Man Utd superstar was 'frustrated with his own teammates', and his latest decision is so impressive

Manchester United are trying to get over a terrible 2024/25 season, which saw Ruben Amorim’s team fail to qualify for European competition.

The 2024/25 campaign ended in bitter disappointment for Manchester United as they lost the Europa League final and finished 15th in the Premier League.

It marked a tough first six months as United head coach for Ruben Amorim, but he will be backed by Ineos to strengthen the squad this summer. That will give him every chance of improving results on the pitch next term.

United have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves before making a second bid to lure Bryan Mbeumo away from Brentford.

The focus has been on Premier League players with an eye for goal, possessing enough goalscoring ability to take some of the responsibility away from Bruno Fernandes.

Fernandes was voted United Player of the Year for a fourth season, as he shone in a turbulent campaign for the team.

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Paul Ince hails Bruno Fernandes decision to stay at Man Utd

The Portugal international wasn’t only United’s most influential player last term, Fernandes also turned down a life-changing offer that would have seen him move to Saudi Arabia.

Instead, Fernandes snubbed Al-Hilal and he looks set to remain at United.

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Former United midfielder Paul Ince believes Fernandes is a credit for prioritising his footballing career over money, especially after appearing frustrated with his teammates last season.

“I think it’s a credit to Bruno Fernandes because watching him play last season, I could see the frustrations in him,” Ince told United In Focus.

“I could see him frustrated with his own teammates. He performed very well last year, so it’d be easy for him to use that excuse of United’s poor season to move to Saudi Arabia. He’s so entangled into what they are doing going forward as the captain of the team.

“I think being captain of Manchester United was a major factor and it says a lot about him. A lot of players have been playing in the Premier League, Serie A or La Liga just get up and go because the Saudis want them. They just thought, well, money speaks.

“Bruno is not on peanuts at United, but he could have been on astronomical amounts of money by going to Saudi. He’s a great player and he wants to play at the top level no matter how much they are willing to pay in Saudi. That’s a credit to him. You look at someone like Ivan Toney who just jumped up and went to Saudi.

“He loves football. He wants to be at the highest level as long as he can. He’s playing for his country. I admire him for making that decision because most players would find it easy to jump ship.”

What’s next for Bruno Fernandes?

After turning down a move to Saudi Arabia before winning the Nations League with Portugal, Fernandes can look forward to going on pre-season tour with United.

United will take on Leeds United in Stockholm, Sweden, before flying out to United States for three fixtures in the Premier League Summer Series.

The US tour will be followed by a pre-season friendly against Fiorentina at Old Trafford.

Fernandes is expected to play a major role in the pre-season tour as United step up preparations for the new campaign.

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