Published: 17:00, 24 October 2025 | Updated: 17:01, 24 October 2025

In the six years Bruno Fernandes has been away from Portugal, Manchester United's talismanic captain and his family have got used to the grey weather and not being close to the beach.

As he gazed out of a window at the club's Carrington training base on Friday morning and up at a typically moody Mancunian sky, Fernandes broke into a smile. 'I haven't seen a beach here,' he admitted. 'No, sorry, I have seen one. In Bournemouth, every time we play there. I go for a walk with Tom Heaton.'

It's fair to say sand wouldn't have been in short supply had Fernandes moved to Saudi Arabia in the summer and joined Al-Hilal in a blockbuster transfer.

The offer to United was in the region of £100million and was not rejected. The personal terms for Fernandes were life-changing, even for a player who earns close to £300,000-a-week.

His agent Miguel Pinho had talks in Riyadh. Fernandes spoke to Al-Hilal's president and, in the end, decided to stay where he was.

As he approaches...