Manchester United's transfer strategy has been under intense scrutiny, with a fortune splashed on players who haven't quite delivered. The eye-watering $103m (£80m/€95m) for Harry Maguire and the $109m (£85m/€100m) for the less-than-impressive Antony are cases in point, leading fans to wonder what kind of impact players could have been secured with that kind of investment.
Skipper Bruno Fernandes seems to share this sentiment , especially when it comes to United missing out on his countryman Matheus Nunes in 2022. Nunes, who now dons the colors of arch-rivals Manchester City , bagged his first Premier League crown last term. Yet, before his move to Wolves in August 2022 and subsequent switch to City, United had their chance to snap up the Portuguese maestro.
Instead, United made the perplexing decision to drop $90m (£70m/€83m) on the seasoned Casemiro, while Nunes became Wolves' top signing for just $49m (£38m/€45m) potentially rising to $55m (£43m/€51m) . At the time, a clearly irked Fernandes expressed his disappointment to the United board for not making Nunes a priority.
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The midfielder was full of praise for the 25-year-old and tipped him to take England by storm. Speaking to Record , a Portuguese publication, Fernandes didn't mince his words: "I've already talked to him. I've already told him that he should have come here (to United) and not there (to Wolves). I'm very happy for him."
He said: "He's going to experience the best league in the world, he's going to have players beside him with a lot of quality, like Ruben (Sa) and Joao (Moutinho), who will teach him a lot. They are two experienced players."
Fernandes also raved about Nunes during his time at Sporting Lisbon, saying: "Matheus is doing incredible things. He has an incredible scope for growth, he is a humble, hardworking kid and I'm sure he will probably explode in the Premier League and will show his qualities. Because for his qualities, Matheus was not made for the Premier League, but rather the Premier League was made for Matheus."
United's decision not to sign Nunes came back to bite them when City paid $68m (£53m/€63m) to sign the midfielder last summer. Pep Guardiola shared Fernandes' admiration for Nunes' talents, previously calling him "one of the best players in the world" while he was at Sporting.
The Spaniard also described the Portugal international as an "exceptional player" following his move to Manchester. However, Nunes only featured in 17 of City's Premier League games last season, with a further 11 appearances coming in cup competitions. He'll be hoping to kick on next season and become a first-team regular under Guardiola.
In the meantime, Fernandes' future at Old Trafford remains uncertain despite being handed the captain's armband last season. The 28-year-old has been a revelation for United since his arrival from Sporting in January 2020, but it remains to be seen whether he will be at the club next season.
However, last year was a nightmarish season for Erik ten Hag's squad, prompting co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to request a thorough shake-up. Fernandes, intriguingly, isn't one of the exempt players in this summer's transfer season.
It seems more and more likely that PSG will attempt to gauge United's response regarding their captain's future. Only two months prior, Fernandes laid out what the Red Devils must do to secure his stay at Old Trafford, stating boldly that the club "needs to want me".
Liverpool.com says: While Fernandes and Guardiola are big fans of Nunes, what he has done so far at Manchester City will not mean Liverpool wishes it got involved in the transfer race. There was interest in the Portugal midfielder from Anfield a year before he ultimately ended up at the Etihad Stadium. So far, though, he has been a bit-part player at best despite a substantial fee.
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