A current West Ham star in the form of Mateus Fernandes has been linked with Manchester United – but Bruno Fernandes admits he wishes a former player moved to Old Trafford.
Despite falling off the pedestal Sir Alex Ferguson worked so hard to put them on since the famous Scot’s departure, Manchester United remain a go-to destination.
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Indeed, Man Utd want to sign Fernandes from West Ham after the midfielder’s excellent season here in east London.
Compatriot and Red Devils skipper Fernandes, however, wishes a certain Declan Rice joined them instead.
Fernandes wishes Declan Rice joined Manchester United
Speaking to Joel Beya, the Man United star admitted he was so impressed with Rice during his time at West Ham that he wanted the England star to join him at Old Trafford.
He said: “I admire him a lot first of all as a person, because I knew him from the Algarve when we were training together.
“I knew him already from West Ham and we knew the qualities that he had.
“I’ve always said that Rice was a player to play for Manchester United and I was really sad when he chose to go to Arsenal.
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“I didn’t know if there was the opportunity or the chance for him to come to Manchester United but I always thought that he would be a perfect fit for our club.
“Not just for the player he is but the person he is, the professional he is. He showed me that. And for his personality.”
Rice was linked with a move to Man United before he joined Arsenal from West Ham for over £100million, after emerging as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League during his time here in east London.
Though Rice was a brilliant player for West Ham and led them to Conference League success in 2023, there are arguably more eyes on him now.
The move to Arsenal has seen him celebrated as one of the best midfielders in the world, which was probably already the case at West Ham anyway.
Irons star Fernandes appears to be on a similar trajectory. The Portugal international will reportedly leave the club whether they stay in the Premier League or not.
The former Southampton star has proven a successful signing, even despite the team’s wider struggles this season.
Both Manchester United and Arsenal are linked with him, as well as Paris Saint-Germain.
The Red Devils missed out on Rice but could well find some solace by signing Fernandes, should they win the race.
It is, of course, a crying shame that West Ham cannot build around players like Rice and Fernandes for many years to come.
Hopefully, they will not need to sell their next midfield star while they are a Championship team.
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