Fernandes: I Wanted Declan Rice at Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes has revealed he wanted Declan Rice to sign for Manchester United before the England midfielder left West Ham for Arsenal. Rice joined Arsenal in a club-record £105m deal in 2023 and has become a key figure as Mikel Arteta’s side push for their first league title since 2004.

Fernandes, who has been influential this season — contributing eight goals and coming within one assist of the Premier League single-season 20‑assist benchmark — narrowly beat Rice to the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award. He picked up about 45% of the FWA vote from its 900-plus membership, finishing just 28 votes ahead of Rice.

The two trained together in the Algarve in the summer of 2023 at a camp run by Apex Football Performance, and Fernandes says that time helped him form a high opinion of Rice both as a player and as a person. He told JoelBeyaTV that he had always felt Rice would suit Manchester United and was disappointed when Rice chose Arsenal.

Fernandes praised Rice’s character and professionalism, saying those qualities would have made him a great fit at Old Trafford as well as an outstanding footballer. He acknowledged, though, that Rice’s role is different: playing deeper for Arsenal means he is not expected to score or assist as frequently as an advanced playmaker, and the two systems demand different things from their midfielders.

On the narrow FWA outcome, Fernandes said he was proud to win but insisted Rice would have been a deserved recipient as well. He noted that awards often reflect statistical contributions as much as influence on the pitch, which can make it harder for deeper midfielders to claim recognition. Fernandes added that if Rice had won he would have congratulated him — as he did after Rice reached the Champions League final.

Overall, Fernandes reiterated his respect for Rice’s performances this season and his belief that Rice has been one of the Premier League’s standout players.