Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes has admitted he could have left the club last summer.
The 30-year-old was United’s hero on Thursday night, scoring a hat-trick as they beat Real Sociedad to move into a Europa League quarter-final with Lyon.
He was also singled out for praise by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in an interview with journalists.
But Fernandes said there had been an offer to sign him in the summer, and he’d held talks with the club about his future.
“I sat with the club because I had an offer to leave,” he said. “We talked about the possibility of me leaving the club or staying.
“They said what they wanted from me. I just asked if they still see me as part of the future of the club or not. I spoke at the time with (Erik) Ten Hag also.
“He was very clear with me, the club was very clear with me, that they thought I would be a big part of this rebuild. I thought that we could be successful.”
The Portugal international now has 15 goals this season. None of his team-mates have got into double figures.
In a campaign that has been bad enough for United, who are 14th in the Premier League and on the brink of their worst domestic campaign since the 1973-74 relegation season, it is not hard to imagine the strife they would have been in had talks with Fernandes in the summer taken a different turn amid interest from Bayern Munich among others.
After Ten Hag was sacked in October, Fernandes’ fellow countryman Ruben Amorim came in as replacement although a bleak situation has got no better.
Last month legendary former captain Roy Keane blasted Fernandes, saying “talent is not enough” and that he was not “a fighter”.
Even Amorim, in the wake of Fernandes’ Europa League exploits said his captain needs to “trust” his team-mates more.
“Roy Keane was an amazing captain for the club, one of the best as everyone says,” said Fernandes.
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“I didn’t have the chance to see much from him, only the last few years, but he was a great player that won everything for the club. He’s massively respected from everyone and has all my respect.
“He has to give his opinion in a programme and this is what he thinks about me.
“I don’t want to copy anyone. I try to be the best captain that I can for my team-mates and help everyone in the best way I know.”
The Europa League remains a route back into the Champions League for United despite their poor season.
Fernandes, who is under contract until 2027, says he wants to stay at Old Trafford for as long as they are competing for trophies.
He said: “We can’t relax at this club. We need to prove ourselves every day in training and every day that we have a game.
“I’m in the same boat as my team-mates. It doesn’t matter how much you do, how much you score, how much you assist… It’s about the team.
“I’m very happy at the club. Obviously, I want to win trophies. I want to be in the biggest competitions, I want to fight for the big trophies. That’s what I said to the club. That’s what the club said to me that they want to do.”
