Rio Ferdinand has made a huge admission while discussing Bruno Fernandes opting to stay with Manchester United.
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Ferdinand impressed by Fernandes decisionMan Utd captain turned down Saudi Arabia moveEx-defender admitted he might not haveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ferdinand suggested that Fernandes has a loyalty to United rarely seen in modern football, revealing that he might have struggled in his own career to make the same decision to turn down the lucrative money on offer in Saudi Arabia.
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Al-Hilal were willing to fork over £100 million ($136m) for Fernandes and then pay the midfielder himself around £700,000 ($950,000) per week to move to the Saudi Pro League. But he said no, explaining that his decision was motivated by wanting to continue playing at a higher level in Europe. That reasoning brought criticism from Ivan Toney, who left the Premier League behind for Saudi Arabia and Al Ahli last summer.
WHAT FERDINAND SAID
"The one thing it says to me, there's a loyalty. And I think that word gets banded about quite a lot, but we don't really see it often from the club's point of view and the players," Ferdinand told the .
"I understand it's a business. But I think he looks at this as pure, 'I've got unfinished business at United. There's stuff I want to do here. Yes, I've been paid well here. The fans love me.' But I think he's in the game of wanting to give back after all he's received. So I've got nothing but respect for him. I would have understood him leaving if he left, 100%. But the fact that he stayed and said there's stuff for me still to do here. I think it's a testament to him as a person, but also another reason why managers comfortably give him the armband.
"If I was him, I think I'd have found it difficult to say no [to Al Hilal]. I've got to be honest."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR FERNANDES?
The summer has to be seen as a fresh start for Manchester United. Realistically, the majority of the squad will remain the same, but there is a full summer without the disruption of an international tournament to properly get to grips with Ruben Amorim's philosophy and demands – something there was never the opportunity to do after his appointment mid-season. Fernandes' role as captain will be crucial in turning the page, especially in setting the standard and culture for new signings that come through the door.
