Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said that some of the club's leaders wanted him to leave Old Trafford for a Saudi club, but they did not have the courage to stand up to coach Ruben Amorim.
Fernandes told Portuguese TV 11, which is owned by the Portuguese Football Federation, that some directors wanted him to move to Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal for £100 million and that he was hurt and saddened by the way the situation was handled.
According to Sky, United's management was clear about Fernandes during the summer and has the same position on the matter - that the Portuguese footballer is part of their plans and that they have no desire to sell him.
Fernandes said in October that the board had told him they would not stand in his way if he wanted to leave, but that they wanted to keep him at Old Trafford.
However, 31-year-old Fernandes now has a different version, which he shared in an interview recorded in November.
"I decided not to go to Saudi Arabia not only for family reasons, but because I really loved the club. The club gave the impression: 'If you go, it's not bad for us'. It hurts me a little. More than it hurts, it makes me sad, I'm a player who has nothing to prove, I'm always available, I always give my best," Fernandes said.
His contract with United expires in 2027, with the option to extend the contract for another year.
Coach Amorim said this summer that Fernandes had considered his future but hoped to stay. The footballer believes that, among those above Amorim, there was no will to oppose the head coach.
"The club wanted me to leave. I told the directors that, that I don't think they had the courage to make such a decision because the coach wanted me. But if I had said I wanted to leave, even if the coach wanted me to stay, the club would have let me go," Fernandes said.
Fernandes has been United's best player in recent years, and many felt that a £100m offer for the 31-year-old was too good to refuse.
The Portuguese international is frustrated because he perceived this as the club's attitude, after staying at United through many difficult moments, even though he had the chance to win trophies at another club.
He said he could have gone to another club the season before the Saudi club sent an offer.
"I was valued, and my club must value me the most, although lately I feel like I'm on the edge. In England, when a player turns 30 they think he has to reshape himself. The issue of loyalty is not as valued as it used to be. I could have left in this market, I would have made a lot more money, I could have gone and won a lot of trophies this season," Fernandes said.
He has not ruled out the possibility of one day playing in the Saudi league.
"If I ever go to play in Saudi Arabia, it won't be for the money. It will be for a change of lifestyle, my children's lives will be sunny, after six years of cold and rain in Manchester, I would be playing in a league that is growing," Fernandes said.
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