playing for his national team than for his club, especially following a disappointing start to the 2024/25 season.
Fernandes has not met his anticipated performance standards early in the season, failing to score a goal in United’s first 11 matches.
While he has provided four assists, he has not played at his best after committing to Old Trafford until 2027 this past summer.
After signing a new contract, Fernandes mentioned that he had legitimate offers from other clubs but chose to stay due to his belief in the project proposed by INEOS.
“I was approached [by other clubs], the club was aware that there was a possibility of me leaving, I had concrete offers,” Fernandes told ESPN.
“But the club showed that it needed me, that it was at a time of change and that they wanted to do things differently.”
Unfortunately, the situation remains unchanged. The Portuguese star’s difficulties have played a role in United’s sluggish beginning, with only two victories in seven Premier League matches and three in 11 across all competitions.
The Red Devils find themselves in 14th place, having netted just five goals and earned eight points out of a possible 21—both of which are record lows.
Despite captaining United, Fernandes has surprisingly expressed relief at temporarily departing Manchester to join his international teammates.
He said: “It’s not a positive moment. We’re not winning games, and the national team space is completely different.
“I’ve felt very at ease. The dynamics are very good. I’m in my country, I speak my language, and I have better food. I have demonstrated a good level in the national team.
“It’s a space where I feel good and I feel like I can enjoy my football at a very high level, due to the dynamics we have and the quality I have at my side.”
But, Fernandes has insisted he is determined to improve once he returns to the club next week, accepting he’s fallen short in recent months.
Fernandes added: “It’s about improving as soon as I get there [Manchester]. Making the goals appear again because I’m a midfielder who scores a lot of goals and has, over the years, always shown a very high level of goals.
“I have to live up to those expectations and to my standards. What I’ve been doing is not at all what I want for this season because I haven’t scored at the club yet.
“I hope that once I get there, I can score and help my club get back to winning ways and be at a good level.”
