Bruno Fernandes has one year left on his contract at Man Utd, and nobody seems sure quite how long he will stay at Old Trafford.
Morgan Rogers could be the ideal successor to Bruno Fernandes
There is a certain irony to the fact that Bruno Fernandes stands on the brink of a remarkable Premier League record in the season after he came as close as he has ever done to leaving Manchester United.
The talismanic 31-year-old needs one more assist to equal the Premier League record of 20 in a season, set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Two in his final three games will leave him in a class of his own.
Fernandes’ remarkable form this season means he is a certainty to win a fifth player of the season award at Old Trafford and is a strong contender to be named player of the year across the division. Once again, the thought of where United would be without him isn’t really worth thinking about.
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That could have been a reality had Fernandes moved to Saudi Arabia last summer. In the end, he turned the eye-watering sums down, but felt United were willing to let him go and cash a transfer fee that could have been close to £100million.
There is no ambiguity this summer. United have made it clear they want Fernandes to stay and hope the sense of momentum and a return to the Champions League will convince him to do just that.
He has a release clause of around £56million that can be activated by a foreign club and a year remaining on his contract, with the option of a further 12 months. Even if Fernandes does stay for another season, there is no guarantee next year won’t be his last at the club.
The Portuguese playmaker also turns 32 in September, and although he is in the form of his life at the moment, there is no certainty that it will be sustained for years to come, especially with the schedule set to become more demanding now that United have returned to Europe.
So there is clearly a need for a succession plan. United can’t be caught out if Fernandes decides after the World Cup he wants to leave this summer, or if he says next season will be his last.
There are options in the current squad who can play there, with Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount both fitting the bill. Mount hasn’t done enough so far in his United career to get the chance, while Cunha is a versatile forward also used on the left and as a false nine.
Instead, the answer may well lie in the transfer market. Amid another summer focusing on Premier League-proven players, Aston Villa’s attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers is someone United are keen on, with the view within the game that Villa might be willing to cash in on the 23-year-old to help fund their own summer overhaul.
The England international has had an excellent season at Villa Park and he could go to the World Cup as Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice No. 10, ahead of Jude Bellingham, which is evidence of his ability to succeed in that position.
His versatility has also been on show this term, with 30 games as an attacking midfielder and 17 on the left wing. United are in the market for a left-winger this summer and if they can land Rogers, he could play on the left with Fernandes in the same team, before eventually taking control of that central position.
He is also a player that Michael Carrick knows well, with the 44-year-old now increasingly likely to stay on as head coach. While United’s recruitment is no longer dictated by the manager, it is a deal Carrick would be keen on, with Rogers producing 18 goal contributions in 33 games for the Old Trafford boss at Middlesbrough.
Carrick was slightly surprised to see Rogers quickly make the leap from the Championship to Aston Villa, but he has been impressed with the way he took the step up and the impact he is now having.
“He’s taking huge steps and quickly and being a major, major part of their team and part of the England team as well. It just shows how well he’s done,” Carrick said ahead of United’s win against Villa earlier this season.
“We could always see what he was possibly going to be capable of and the potential there in terms of what he could do, his attributes, the way he carries the ball, play off his left foot, play off of his right foot, create, score goals and really good athletically.
“So there were a lot of things there, but to see him go on and have such an impact would probably be more than I would have expected, probably more than Morgan himself would have expected.”
He might well get the chance to build on that with Carrick again, and he could yet be the perfect replacement for Fernandes, whenever that day comes.
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