MANCHESTER UNITED SCHEDULE "PRE-WORLD CUP TALKS" WITH CAPTAIN BRUNO FERNANDES
Manchester United want crunch talks with Bruno Fernandes before the 2026 World Cup to clarify his future amid Saudi interest.
Manchester United want to sit down with Bruno Fernandes and talk about his future before the World Cup kicks off. Earlier this season, Fernandes—who wears the captain’s armband—admitted he almost joined Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia last summer. The deal never happened, but United know more offers will come in for their star midfielder.
Fernandes, now 31, has said he’ll decide what comes next after the World Cup wraps up in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. But United aren’t content to wait that long. They want to know where his head’s at before the tournament starts. According to ESPN, club officials plan to meet with him soon to get some clarity.
He’s under contract until the summer of 2027, and United can tack on another year if they want, keeping him at Old Trafford through 2028. Still, they seem willing to let him call the shots on his future.
Even so, United would really like him to stick around for at least another season. Against Manchester City, he showed exactly why. That derby ended 2-0 for United—Michael Carrick’s second spell as interim manager started with a bang—and Fernandes was massive, setting up Bryan Mbeumo’s goal.
The board sees Fernandes as crucial to easing the transition to a new manager. Carrick made a good first impression, but he probably won’t get the job full-time.
Back in December, Fernandes surprised everyone at the club when he told reporters he thought United were ready to cash in on him. He figured they wanted to sell, but held back because then-manager Ruben Amorim wanted him to stay.
Talking to Canal 11 in Portugal, Fernandes didn’t hold back: “The club wanted me to go. I told the directors that. I don’t think they had the guts to make the call because the coach wanted me. But if I’d pushed to leave, even if he wanted me to stay, they’d have let me.”
He went on: “I was valued, but what matters most to me is how my club values me, and lately I feel like I’m on a bit of a tightrope. In England, once you hit 30, they start talking about a rebuild.
“Loyalty isn’t what it used to be. I could’ve left this window; I would’ve made a lot more money. Even last season, I was close to leaving, and this year I was supposed to win trophies.”
This season, Fernandes has already scored nine goals and chipped in five assists in 19 Premier League games. He also set up a goal in United’s 2-1 FA Cup loss to Brighton. Clearly, he’s still essential.
STOPPAGE TIME SAVER: BENJAMIN SESKO RESCUES MICHAEL CARRICK’S UNBEATEN STREAK AT WEST HAM
Benjamin Sesko saved Manchester United with a 96th-minute flick after Tomas Soucek put West Ham ahead. Read the full 2026 report.
Manchester United left it late, grabbing a dramatic draw against West Ham at the London Stadium. Tomas Soucek seemed to have won it for the Hammers with his second-half goal, but Benjamin Sesko popped up in stoppage time with a clever finish to snatch a point for United, who’ve been on a good run. The first half really dragged. United couldn’t break West Ham down at all. Everyone in a claret shirt just sat deep. Luke Shaw came closest, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared his shot off the line.
After the break, things actually got interesting. Four minutes in, Soucek bundled one in from close range. Casemiro thought he’d levelled things up after an hour, but VAR ruled his header out for offside. Both teams had chances as the clock ran down, but it was Sesko who finally found the net deep into stoppage time, saving United right at the end.
Man United player ratings vs West Ham
Senne Lammens – 6
Came up big early to deny Summerville from a distance. No chance with Soucek’s goal.
Diogo Dalot – 4
Had a tough time with Summerville’s pace and kept giving the ball away. Picked up a needless yellow.
Lisandro Martínez – 6
Easily the most composed passer at the back, breaking lines a few times. Solid defensively for the most part.
Luke Shaw – 5
Almost scored in the first half, but his shot was cleared off the line. Then stepped out of position before Soucek’s goal, which cost United.
Casemiro – 7
Pretty solid in midfield—broke up play and timed his tackles well. Scored with a header, but it didn’t count.
Kobbie Mainoo – 6
Kept things ticking in the middle but couldn’t really hurt West Ham. Lost Soucek for the goal.
Amad – 5
Had a decent look before halftime but hit the side netting. Didn’t offer his usual spark.
Matheus Cunha – 4
Barely got involved. Dropped deep to get on the ball but didn’t do anything with it.
Bryan Mbeumo – 5
Ran hard, tracked back, and helped defensively, but didn’t threaten much in attack.
Joshua Zirkzee – 6
Came on for Maguire for the last 20 minutes and made a couple of crucial blocks as West Ham pressed for another.
Benjamin Sesko – 7
Subbed in for Cunha in the second half and poked home in stoppage time to grab United a point.
DISCOVER WHICH MANCHESTER UNITED STARS WILL MISS THE WEST HAM CLASH
Michael Carrick confirms Mason Mount and Matthijs de Ligt will miss Manchester United’s clash with West Ham as the win streak nears 5.
Here’s the latest on Man United’s injury list and who’s likely to return when they take on West Ham.
Man United head to the London Stadium on Tuesday night without three key players. All of them are still recovering. Michael Carrick, who’s already chalked up four straight wins since taking over, is aiming to stretch that run to five. United are right in the mix for a Champions League spot now, just three points off third-placed Aston Villa.
They’ll want to keep racking up points, but after the West Ham game, there’s nearly a two-week gap before they play Everton. That’s not enough time for any of the injured guys to make it back for West Ham, though Carrick’s hoping at least one of them will be ready for the Everton trip later this month.
So, who’s out? The same trio that missed the weekend win over the Spurs. None of them will feature in East London. De Ligt hasn’t played since beating Crystal Palace at the end of November. Carrick says it’s still too soon to predict exactly when he’ll be fit again.
Dorgu is dealing with a hamstring injury from the Arsenal match last month. He’ll be out for about two months and probably won’t return until after the March international break. Mount has already missed the last two games after picking up a small knock in training. He won’t make it in time for West Ham, but Carrick expects him back to face Everton.
“Mason probably won’t be ready for Tuesday, probably after, but definitely by the Everton game, he’ll be back,” Carrick told reporters before the match. “Matta, we’ll see how he gets on… the Everton game still feels a way off, so we’ll just have to watch his progress. He’s doing well, heading in the right direction, but Mason’s a bit closer.”