Bruno Fernandes Rejects Second Man Utd Contract Offer Before Pochettino Takes Charge

• Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has rejected a second contract offer from the club, per BBC Sport.
• His deal runs out in June 2027, and United hold an option to extend it by 12 months until 2028.
• Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be in charge for the first time at Anfield against Liverpool on 22 November.

Fernandes Hands Pochettino a Contract Problem Before His First Game

Bruno Fernandes has said no to Manchester United again. The club captain has turned down a second contract offer, and the incoming manager has not yet taken charge of a match. Michael Carrick was sacked as head coach on Thursday after United’s worst start to a domestic campaign in 40 years, and the club sit in the relegation zone. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to replace him, with his first game at Anfield against Liverpool on 22 November. A new deal for the 32-year-old might have lifted morale in a difficult international break. Instead they face a stand-off with the captain.

Where the Talks Stand

Discussions began in the summer, after a season in which Fernandes was named Men’s PFA Player of the Year. United’s first proposal is thought to have been rejected, and the second, which carried improved terms, was turned down too. It is unclear when Fernandes gave his answer, and a resolution looks unlikely soon given the upheaval at the club.

Fernandes is out of contract in June 2027, and United can trigger a 12-month extension that would take him to 2028. If no new deal is agreed, it is almost certain the club will use that option before 1 January. Without it, he could sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club once his deal is within six months of expiring. United will keep talking over his salary and the length of a new contract, and they are keen for him to stay. Fernandes had earlier told Carrick he was committed.

The Como Interview That Changed the Mood

Fernandes is usually deliberate in what he says to the media. After the Champions League defeat at Como last month he was scathing about the way his coaches had set the team up.

“It’s a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave a little space in behind and try to get the ball in the first moment, to wait for them, to give them the ball,” he said.

“But sometimes when you give too much the ball to these teams they get confident, they have so many bodies behind the ball that make you run a lot, make people get frustrated, and then obviously when you recover the ball the legs are, and the brain, much more difficult to make it work.”

Gary Neville lamented: “If that’s your captain saying that, imagine what they’re saying in the dressing room behind closed doors when no one’s listening. That’s horrific.” He also told Fernandes to “read the room” and called him an “excuse merchant” on his podcast.

Fernandes was left on the bench for the Premier League loss to Bournemouth, then returned to the starting XI against Chelsea the following matchday. Carrick had refused to rule out dropping him in an emotional address.

After the comeback win against Roma, Fernandes spoke defiantly and said he had not been sanctioned for undermining Carrick.

“The club needed that win. The players needed that win. It is something we needed as a group of players and staff,” he said. “We have been working so hard to get out of this situation together. It has been tough. There has been a lot of speculation in the media.”

“A lot of lies around many things that have happened at this club, between me and the manager, like that we have cleared the air. Nothing like that happened.”

“The manager took a decision of making myself on the bench because I wasn’t performing. And that’s fair.”

“Everyone felt like that was a punishment for the words that I had [after Como]. And if it was, it was right.”

“The manager makes the decisions. I have to accept it. I have to go forward with that. It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, the staff and every player at this club.”

“And it doesn’t change my aim to win every f***ing game that I have ahead of me.”

Why Both Sides Are Wary

Turning down a first and second offer is usual in contract negotiations. Fernandes wants to compete for the biggest prizes, and he will want to see what Pochettino can do once the manager arrives from the United States. He came close to joining Pochettino’s Tottenham in 2019, and signed for United six months later.

United have watched his form fall away from last season, when he broke the Premier League assists record and won all the major player of the year honours. He has scored six times in 13 matches this season. Liverpool’s big commitment to Mohamed Salah’s last contract turned into a heavy financial burden, and United do not want a major contract over a long period for a player whose level has dropped.

A Club Under Strain

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox flew to Monaco this week to meet Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe about Carrick’s departure, and the Glazer ownership ratified the decision to replace him with Pochettino, who arrives from his United States role. Both executives have come under fire from fans and from inside the club for how Carrick was treated. He took two days of training at Carrington while they mulled his sacking.

Pochettino walks into that with a captain who has said no twice. His first test comes at Anfield on 22 November, and if no deal is agreed the club is almost certain to trigger the extension option before 1 January.