Fernandes admits United trophy haul has fallen short but vows to chase Premier League glory

Bruno Fernandes has conceded that his trophy record at Manchester United has not matched his expectations, but insists he remains driven to win the Premier League and compete in the Champions League after helping the club secure a top-three finish in 2025/26.

The Portuguese captain, who set a new Premier League record of 21 assists in a single season, has an FA Cup and a Carabao Cup to show for six and a half years at Old Trafford since joining from Sporting in January 2020. Despite that relatively modest haul, Fernandes told ESPN he has no intention of walking away from the challenge.

“Obviously, I wanted to have won more, it wasn’t quite what I had expected for myself and for the club,” Fernandes said. “But I had very good times. We managed to reach some finals, some of them we won, others we didn’t. But my goal has always been to win the biggest competitions and the Premier League is part of it. And I still have that dream in me and I hope to achieve it.”

United’s return to the Champions League appears to have been the decisive factor in keeping Fernandes at the club, despite a £56 million release clause in his contract that is available to foreign clubs. He has played just one knockout tie in the competition during his entire time at Old Trafford and is eager to test himself against Europe’s elite on a regular basis.

“Being in the Champions League, it’s the most important competition — the competition where you can play against the most important teams in the world, in Europe,” he said. “It’s something that I want to do and I want to be at that level to play against the best and show that I can be at their level.”

United’s Champions League qualification was secured in large part by a remarkable run under Michael Carrick, who took charge during a period of managerial transition and oversaw 39 points from 17 games — more than any other side across that same stretch. Carrick has since been handed a permanent two-year contract at the age of 44.

Fernandes was full of praise for the impact Carrick made on the squad. “He tried to be very positive, because obviously we were in a moment of coaching transition, which is always a difficult time for the team,” Fernandes said. “He brought new ideas and a different way of playing, which was also important for some players to find an escape to be protagonists again. And it’s been good, obviously, because the results demonstrate that too. We hope that we will continue to do so.”