Bruno Fernandes admits his Manchester United career has not been what he expected in terms of silverware, saying he ‘obviously wanted to have won more.’
The Red Devils captain has been a star performer for the club since arriving from Sporting in January 2020, but trophies have been few and far between.
Under Erik ten Hag Manchester United won the 2023 League Cup and the FA Cup the following year, but they are the only prizes scooped since Fernandes has been at the club.
There have been near misses elsewhere, finishing runner-up in the Europa League twice and the FA Cup in 2023, but just two trophies in six-and-a-half seasons is a light return for a club of Manchester United’s size.
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When the Portugal international made the move to the Premier League he was expecting to add plenty more than that to his CV, and admits things have not turned out as he thought they would.
‘Obviously, I wanted to have won more, it wasn’t quite what I had expected for myself and for the club,’ Fernandes told ESPN.
‘But I had very good times. We managed to reach some finals, some of them we won, others we didn’t.
‘But my goal has always been to win the biggest competitions and the Premier League is part of it. And I still have that dream in me and I hope to achieve it.’
The 31-year-old is now hoping that Michael Carrick can be the manager who leads Manchester United back to regularly challenging for top prizes domestically and in Europe.
The midfielder says the Englishman allowed players to ‘be protagonists again’ after the turgid reign of Ruben Amorim.
‘I think he brought a very positive energy to the team, he tried to be very positive, because obviously we were in a moment of coaching transition, which is always a difficult time for the team,’ Fernandes said of Carrick’s arrival in January.
‘He tried to be positive, obviously he brought new ideas and a different way of playing, which was also important for some players to find an escape to be protagonists again.
‘And it’s been good, obviously, because the results demonstrate that too. We hope that we will continue to do so.’
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Fernandes has been linked with a move away from the club in recent transfer windows, but Carrick has said he does not see his captain leaving any time soon.
The Portuguese has a year to run on his current contract, although the club have an option to extend it by a further 12 months.
‘He’s such an influence for us,’ said Carrick last month. ‘He’s been the captain and led by example in different ways. So, yeah, I’ve got no reason to think otherwise.
‘We’ve loved what he’s done and he loves being here.’