Bruno Fernandes was the centre of attention in every sense on a historic night at Croke Park.
One of the biggest cheers of the evening from a sell-out crowd for the first ‘soccer’ match between English teams at the 82,500-capacity home of the Gaelic Athletic Association came after an hour of Manchester United’s pre-season game with Leeds, when Fernandes’ name was read out as one of five substitutes being made by head coach Michael Carrick.
The place would have erupted if either Fernandes had not had an effort ruled out for offside, or his shot from the edge of the area had gone in, not flicked off the bar.
The hero worship was taken too far when first one fan, then another, then another raced on to the pitch to get a selfie. With chaos threatening to take hold and 90 minutes played, the match was called to a halt without injury time, and went straight to penalties.
Amazingly, Fernandes missed, although Noussair Mazraoui kept his cool a few minutes later to secure a 5-4 victory, after the game itself had been brought to a premature conclusion at 1-1.
The result was irrelevant compared to preparations for the new season.
But the reaction for Fernandes underlines his hero status among United fans, which was established long before his nine goals and record 21 assists ensured a third-place finish in the Premier League last season and secured a return to the Champions League.
Of all United’s squad, Fernandes is the one worshipped by fans.
But after the ‘will-he, won’t-he’ debate around the 31-year-old’s future last summer when the massive offer from Saudi Pro-League side Al-Hilal emerged, United’s resolve could be about to be tested again.
Italian heavyweights Juventus and AC Milan, plus Galatasaray, are all understood to be keen on the Portugal playmaker, who has a £57m release clause available to overseas clubs.
It remains to be seen how United react if a bid is received. Last December, Fernandes admitted to being “hurt” at being told by United officials it was up to him whether he wanted to accept the Al-Hilal offer.
Now, his contract has entered its final year – there is an option to extend by a further season – and, as yet, there is no agreement over a new one.
It is thought Fernandes’ preference is to stay at United, potentially for the remainder of his career. On the club’s previous visit to the Republic of Ireland in April, he said he wants to compete for trophies. That situation is understood still to be the case.
But at a time when United are attempting to keep a lid on their wage bill, Fernandes could justifiably point to his contribution as being worthy of a significant salary, as Marcus Rashford returns to the club and is currently the highest earner.
United’s hierarchy may find themselves with a problem that won’t easily be resolved.
Certainly, Carrick won’t want to lose the former Sporting man.
Already, Fernandes’ partnership with new arrival Youri Tielemans is starting to pay dividends.
It was Tielemans who set his captain up for the shot that struck the bar, the short pass evidence of the understanding developing between the pair, which the Belgium midfielder outlined speaking to the media on Tuesday.
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