Bruno Fernandes has revealed that his wife helped to 'put' my professional priorities' for his rejection of a lucrative proposal from the Saudi Pro League.
On Tuesday, reports claimed that the Portuguese made a stunning proposal of £ 200 million from Al-Hilal. The Saudi club is said to have submitted a three -year contract – and was ready to offer in the £ 100 million region for the midfielder.
However, it was revealed that Fernandes had come to a decision about his future and rejected the proposal of the Saudi giants.
While he was in international duty with his national team, the 30 -year -old ties spoke and revealed that he thought of the opponent for a long time and hard before he finally concluded – with the help of his wife Ana Pinho – that he had more to give in a top European competition.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al Hilal called me a month ago,” said Fernandes. 'There was a waiting time on my part to think about what the future would entail. I would be open to it, if Manchester United thought it was my time.
“I spoke to Mr. Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk to me. I spoke with the club, which was not willing to sell, only if I really wanted to leave.
“We never talked about money; That was all handled by my agent, not me. I spoke to my family to understand if that was what I wanted for my future.
“It was actually my wife who asked me – I never said yes or no. She placed my professional priorities for everything else. It would have been an easy move. I had Ruben Neves and Joao Annalo there, two people with whom I have a great friendship.
'But I want to stay at the highest level, play in large competitions, because I still feel capable. I want to continue to be happy, I am still very passionate about this sport and I am happy with my decision. '
The romance of Fernandes and Pinho started when the Red Devils skipper was only 17 and they have been married since 2015. Fernandes revealed last year that Ana – who is a former Futsal referee – had to pay for their early dates because he was a teenager skint.
The detail that Fernandes wants to play at the 'top level in Europe' can still cause problems for United – which ended 15th in the competition and lost the Europa League final.
If they had won that match, against Premier League rival Tottenham, they would have qualified for the Champions League and have been good to keep Fernandes.
It is still to be seen which top European parties would be interested in Fernandes.
Amorim has consistently claimed that Fernandes is central to his team and his plans as part of a rebuilding this summer and that money can be collected in other ways, namely the sale of Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho.
Many United fans have been uncertain about the future of Fernandes, given his recent social media activity and the fact that the star was spotted alongside an al-Hilal star.
The player himself was seen during the weekend at Annalo's birthday party and shared a group meal to celebrate the former Manchester City star who turned 31.
The two countrymen will both fit later this week for the Portuguese national team, but the timing of this link has only increased speculation.
The appearance of Fernandes in the position also came shortly after a cryptic social media post that some fans led to believe that he would be on his way from Old Trafford.
United sources have repeated that they do not want to sell Fernandes, but the club is still financial pressure after their defeat by Tottenham in the Europa League final cost them £ 100 million in Champions League income.