Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has made clear his immediate objective is to help the club rediscover its best form and push back up the Premier League table. According to reports, Fernandes believes Ruben Amorim’s side have what it takes to qualify for the Champions League this season and has expressed confidence United can climb into the top five and secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Fernandes has publicly aligned himself with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s long-term vision for the club while insisting the squad can deliver in the short term. That belief marks a significant reset after a difficult previous campaign in which United finished 15th with 42 points, a tally described as closer to the relegation zone than the top five.

The Portugal international turned down a switch to Saudi Arabia in the summer, confirming he did not hesitate to snub the approach when United revealed their desire to continue working together. That decision underlined his commitment to remain at Old Trafford and to contribute to the club’s recovery.

Despite reported interest from clubs in the Middle East following a challenging start to the season, Fernandes has repeatedly indicated a desire to stay. He is not interested in a move away from Old Trafford but has admitted he will not cause any issues for the club if they decide to accept an offer for his services. While a transfer to Saudi Arabia is not thought to appeal to Fernandes, he would look for another club if asked to do so by United.

The message from Fernandes is straightforward: he has bought into the project and expects United to be competitive again. With ownership and leadership aligned on a plan, Fernandes has set clear short-term expectations for the squad to improve their league position and to re-establish themselves among Europe’s elite.

Bruno Fernandes addressed growing talk about a possible move to Saudi Arabia while on international duty, insisting his focus remains on the national team even as speculation intensifies. The Manchester United midfielder described the idea of leaving next summer as difficult to picture but stopped short of ruling out a surprise departure from Old Trafford.

“That’s an impossible scenario to imagine, because it’s nothing that’s been discussed with me,” he stressed. The 31-year-old said he prefers to remain present and concentrate on current commitments. “I like to enjoy the moment, and the most important thing for me now is representing the national team.

“It’s a source of enormous pride to be able to play [for Portugal on Saturday], and I still don’t know if I’ll play, let alone if I’ll leave Manchester United in a year.

“It’s not something that worries me. I’m happy where I am, otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed. But it’s something that honestly doesn’t really bother me.”

United’s poor start to the season has renewed transfer chatter, with rumours placing a Saudi move in 2026 and some reports even suggesting January as a possibility. Fernandes’ commitment to winning with United has been clear in his public comments, and discussions over his future did take place this past summer.

Talks followed remarks from Fernandes about how the club might view a £100 million fee. When club officials made clear they did not want to lose him, he moved to close down talk of an immediate exit while qualifying his stance.

“I didn’t close the door on moving to Saudi Arabia because of the World Cup ,” Fernandes explained. “That was never in my mind.

“I wanted to stay at Manchester United, and the club wanted me to stay. That’s all there is to it.”

For now, Fernandes has framed his priorities around national team duty and continuing to compete for trophies with United, leaving his future open but rooted in the present.

Altay Bayındır has described a positive working relationship with Senne Lammens even as the pair contest the Manchester United goalkeeper position. Lammens made his United debut in last weekend’s crucial 2–0 win over Sunderland and produced a confident display that has kept him ahead in the pecking order.

Bayındır, 27, spoke to Manchester Evening News and framed the situation as healthy competition rather than internal division. “That is the way, everyone has to be together, always,” he said. “We have a good group, a good goalkeeper group, and we are always pushing each of ourselves on the pitch.

“Of course, we are fighting for the shirt, but in the outside, we have a good relationship, like how we did with André. He’s at Trabzonspor and he’s doing well.”

The wider club context is uneasy. United have taken just ten points from their opening seven Premier League matches, are not competing in Europe this year and have already suffered a humiliating defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.

Bayındır emphasised collective responsibility and ongoing improvement as the route back to consistent results. “I can say football is a team thing. Everyone needs to work good, you know? Everyone needs to be focused. From my side, every day, after every game, we are improving ourselves and we’re thinking what we need to do more.

“After the game, we are doing the analysis. We’re seeing everything in the analysis, which parts we have to improve—everything. When you can catch the routine, you can be better every game, because it’s about experience. Also you’re learning something from every game and that’s the important thing.”

For Bayındır the message is simple: internal competition should lift standards across the squad, and consistent analysis and work are the means by which both goalkeepers can contribute to better team performances.