Cristiano Ronaldo’s future will be decided by Manchester United, according to Bruno Fernandes, who adds that he is unaware of his teammate’s thoughts.
Since he expressed his desire to quit the club on the eve of players reporting back for preseason practice, Ronaldo’s future at United has been in doubt. In addition, he will not be present for the club’s trip of Australia due to “personal circumstances” after missing the club’s flight out to Thailand.
The 37-year-old was the subject of negotiations with Chelsea, but they finally opted against a deal.
Although Ronaldo has been linked to Napoli, Atletico Madrid, and an undisclosed Saudi Arabian club, United insists he is not for sale. The striker’s potential future at Old Trafford was mentioned by Erik ten Hag.
Bruno Fernandes checked in on his compatriot to see how he was doing, but he refrained from pushing that United keep him.
When asked how crucial it would be to keep Ronaldo, Fernandes responded, “I don’t know, clearly Cristiano was our top scorer last season, he added goals to us. However, obviously it’s not on me; the club has to make the decisions, and Cristiano makes his own choice.
“If he wants to go, it’s all about news. I don’t know what’s going through his brain. I didn’t enquire about that.
“When Cristiano didn’t show up, the only thing I asked him was whether everything was OK with the family. He just told me what was happening, nothing more.”
Fernandes continued, “We must respect everyone’s choice. We must respect Cristiano’s privacy despite not knowing what he said to the team or the management or what was going through his mind.
We just need to give him some space because, as far as we can tell, he had some familial issues.
Fernandes also strongly backed Ten Hag’s strict methods of discipline.
Fernandes said it was one area that slipped last season, adding, “I believe we lost that for a spell, and I think, for me, the way I perceive discipline is crucial.” Ten Hag said that he has stressed standards in his conversations with players.
Don’t be late for meetings or meals; if everyone is on time and someone arrives late, he should be disciplined. For me, discipline encompasses not just how you play on the field, your position, and what you must do, but also how you conduct yourself off it.
I find that to be incredibly admirable because I value punctuality and won’t have any issues as a result.
