Bruno Fernandes' 'mistake'? Man Utd legend heaps praise on Red Devils captain for staying at 'big club' instead of taking £100m Saudi Arabia offer

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Teddy Sheringham has praised Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes for staying at the club, despite a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The ex-United and Tottenham star was speaking to Racing Tipster. He spoke glowingly about Fernandes, and also praised the club for not cashing in on their ageing captain. According to Sheringham, despite the Red Devils struggles last term, they remain "one of the biggest football clubs around."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

Speculation of a switch to Saudi Arabia picked up at the end of lat month, when it was rumoured that Al-Hilal offered Fernandes a contract worth £200m over three years. The 30-year-old snubbed the approach, amid suggestions United has pushed for the player to accept the deal. Fernandes rubbished those claims in an interview with Sky Sports.

WHAT SHERINGHAM SAID

Sheringham said: "I think it’s great that Fernandes wants to stay. He realises what a big club United are. United probably had that same thought, where they could have sold him to Saudi Arabia for 100 million or something like that, for a 30-year-old. They could have landed big money to really start recharging the batteries at United with new players.

"But good on Fernandes. He realises that United obviously aren’t at the top of their game at the moment, but they’re still one of the biggest football clubs around. You want to stay there for as long as you can.

"I really like Bruno. He’s head and shoulders the best player. You would much rather have a Manchester United team with him in it, then without him."

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WHAT NEXT FOR BRUNO FERNANDES?

After committing his future to the club, Fernandes will want to see the United brass get a few more transfers over the line. The Red Devils have struggled to secure their first-choice stars over the past few months and have been embroiled in high-profile chases of Bryan Mbeumo, Viktro Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen to name a few.