Fernandes: I expected more when I joined Man Utd

Bruno Fernandes admits he is yet to taste the kind of success he envisaged when he joined Manchester United, though he still hopes to win major trophies with the Red Devils.

Fernandes arrived at Old Trafford from Sporting CP midway through the 2019-20 season, but one EFL Cup and one FA Cup are the only pieces of silverware he has won there.

He has also lost another FA Cup final – to Manchester City in 2022-23 – and been on the wrong side of two Europa League finals, against Villarreal in 2021 and Tottenham in 2025.

Since Fernandes' debut on February 1, 2020, he has played more games (327), made more starts (311), accumulated more minutes (27,855), scored more goals (107) and provided more assists (105) than any other United player, in all competitions.   

But in an interview with ESPN, the Portugal midfielder admitted he expected more team success when he first arrived in England. 

"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."

Fernandes won the Premier League's Player of the Season award for 2025-26, having set the competition's new single-season assist record with 21. 

United finished a comfortable third to seal a return to the Champions League after two seasons away, having brought in Michael Carrick as an interim replacement for Ruben Amorim in January.

And, with Carrick's stay being made permanent, Fernandes is hopeful the club can continue their upward trajectory in 2026-27.

"I think he brought a very positive energy to the team, 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 tried to be positive, obviously 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 it."