Reports: Tottenham defeat could pave way for Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester United exit to Real Madrid or Barcelona

Bruno Fernandes could leave Manchester United for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Bruno Fernandes could leave Manchester United for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Manchester United fans might not enjoy this. According to reports, United’s 1-6 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur might pave the way for Bruno Fernandes to leave Old Trafford for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

The game against Spurs turned out to be a nightmare for Manchester United fans despite the Red Devils taking an early lead courtesy a Bruno Fernandes penalty. Disaster soon struck as Anthony Martial was shown a straight red card for slapping Eric Lamela. Things then turned ugly in a jiffy as Manchester United lost the plot and went 1-4 behind at the break.

During the half-time interval, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to take off Bruno Fernandes, a move that apparently did not go down well with the Portuguese.

It now appears that Bruno Fernandes was so upset with that decision that he is reportedly contemplating a move out of Old Trafford. Understandably, a lot of big clubs around Europe have been put on high alert, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, while Manchester United sweat on keeping hold of their talisman.

Bruno Fernandes could be as effective at Barcelona as he is at Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes scored Manchester United's only goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the 1-6 defeat.
Bruno Fernandes scored Manchester United's only goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the 1-6 defeat.

The Red Devils have seen players move to the Santiago Bernabeu on quite a few occasions. That high-profile list includes the likes of David Beckham, Gabriel Heinze, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, the relationship between Manchester United and Real Madrid deteriorated with the infamous fax machine saga that scuppered David de Gea’s move to Spain.

On the other hand, the Red Devils’ interactions with Barcelona have been far less complicated, but very few players have moved between the two clubs of late. Manchester United did allow Gerard Pique to return to the Camp Nou, a move that perhaps shaped Barcelona’s spell of unbelievable success in the last decade.

However, the Catalan club have been a shadow of their former self in recent years and will be looking to bolster their squad after a less than impressive summer transfer window. New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman might be smacking his lips at the prospect of Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings in his Barcelona team.

The Portuguese would be a fabulous addition to the Blaugrana squad and would not look out of place among the plethora of talent at Barcelona. However, Manchester United will loathe to see Bruno Fernandes leave, especially since he has been their best player by a mile since joining in January this year.

The player himself has rejected rumours of any dissent at the club. Even though he was not happy to be replaced at the break, Bruno Fernandes insists that he did not say anything to harm the integrity of the dressing room.

"I was replaced at half-time, it is true, by technical option. The coach told me that the game was almost over, and that we would have a lot of games ahead of us. Got it. I was not satisfied but said nothing that could harm the group," said Fernandes.

That would not be music to Barcelona's ears, though.

The Portuguese player also went on to insist that Manchester United are indeed united in their endeavour to head back to the top and warned people not to use his name to create a rift at the club.

"Do not use my name, my colleagues or that of the coach to make trouble at Manchester United. The atmosphere is good, and the team is ready to give an answer in the next game," continued Fernandes.

Manchester United will find temporary relief in the words of their talisman. Barcelona, however, might be keeping a close eye on Bruno Fernandes in the coming days.

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Edited by Bhargav