Fernandes rejects two contract offers and freezes Man Utd talks until Pochettino proves himself

Bruno Fernandes has rejected two contract offers from Manchester United and placed further negotiations on hold, unwilling to commit his future to Old Trafford until he can assess the direction of the club under newly appointed manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino has been hired to replace Michael Carrick, who departs with United sitting in the relegation zone in what has been a deeply troubled season. The Argentine arrives with a strong reputation built at Tottenham and PSG, but inherits a squad widely regarded as underperforming and under-resourced — a situation that has directly shaped Fernandes’s reluctance to sign.

Fernandes, United’s captain and talisman, is currently on £300,000 a week, just below the club’s highest earner Marcus Rashford. His existing deal expires at the end of the season, though United hold a one-year option that would prevent him leaving for nothing in the summer. Despite that safety net, the club is eager to secure a longer-term commitment — something Fernandes is not yet prepared to give.

A source told The Sun: “Bruno wants to see what happens for the rest of this season before committing. His relationship with the club has been up and down in the last few years. He enjoyed a best-ever season but is unhappy with some of the decisions since Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos bought into the club. He knows Poch is a good manager but wants to see the club back him properly — he and some other players think they have been set up to fail this season.”

The frustration within the squad is not new. United failed to land several of their primary summer transfer targets, including a left-back and a striker. Lisandro Martinez publicly criticised the hierarchy weeks ago for the lack of reinforcements, and Fernandes himself clashed with Carrick after a defeat at Como, publicly questioning the tactics. He was subsequently dropped for the home loss to Bournemouth, during which he was jeered by sections of the Old Trafford crowd.

Saudi clubs have previously registered interest in Fernandes, and more recent reports have linked him with a move to Turkey, adding further urgency to United’s efforts to tie him down. For now, however, he is watching and waiting — and Pochettino’s early weeks in charge may prove decisive in determining whether Fernandes remains a United player beyond this season.