Old Trafford Star Set for SHOCK Exit as United Look to Improve Squad Depth

Man United to Sell Midfield STAR ahead of Summer Overhaul

By general consensus, Manchester United fans are of the opinion that without Bruno Fernandes, they would be significantly worse off as a football club, possibly battling relegation as opposed to chasing European football.

Regardless of what you make of his personality, the Portuguese international has been outstanding at Old Trafford since making the move from Sporting Lisbon back in January of 2020 - his 93 goals and 90 assists in that period are a clear indicator of how good the midfielder has been.

🚨 Manchester United are planning to sell Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes and are not ruling out the possibility of a January exit.

The Portugal international has a £52.5M release clause which can be triggered by clubs outside of the Premier League.

(Source: Football… pic.twitter.com/FIIN1y5zmS

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 2, 2026

However, sometimes star players like Bruno can become victims of their own success; with United poised to make a surprise bid at Europe next season in sixth place, the Ineos/Jim Ratcliffe-led hierarchy are considering putting their MVP up for sale, with a potential exit coming as soon as this month in the January transfer window.

Why Sell Bruno?

The easy answer to this question is income - despite being 31 years of age, a period when even the best players see their market value begin to decrease, Bruno’s remains high, and with a £52 million release clause in his contract that can be triggered by any team outside of the Premier League, United have done a good job of ensuring they recoup the majority of the £58 million they initially splashed on him.

However, that is not the whole story - in truth, Bruno has been the only United player to impress in a Red Devils shirt this season, perhaps alongside summer signing Bryan Mbeumo. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Why would United sell their best player?”

A perfectly valid question. By now, Fernandes has been the only source of consistent brilliance in the team for a good three or four years, and though his constant habit of digging them out of deep holes has made him a cult legend, it has also underlined the fact that United need far better squad depth than what they are currently operating with.

As a result, Bruno’s sale is in fact absolutely necessary if the club are to compete with other top sides for high-value targets, both in January and, of course, in the summer. Relying on one singular player to repeatedly bail you out is simply unsustainable, and I am honestly surprised that it took Jim Ratcliffe this long to see that.

So heavily has he been relied on that, under Ruben Amorim and his five-at-the-back mantra, Fernandes has had to abandon his offensive role and adapt to a deeper, more defensive role that many thought would take away from his importance to the side.

However, quite the opposite has happened - Fernandes has thrived in a deeper position, and his seven assists this season underline simply how good he is even when playing out of position.

👑 Bruno Fernandes is officially the FotMob Player of the Year for the Premier League.

With an average FotMob rating of 7.83 in league games across 2025, Man United’s star midfielder just outranks Erling Haaland (7.74). pic.twitter.com/5MsJczd9Gm

— FotMob (@FotMob) January 1, 2026

However, he has also helped make up the mind of the United hierarchy that he needs to go - he is effectively too good for the club, and the best United can do is cash in on him while his value is still high and use the funds to target multiple other players who improve their strength in depth.

Buckle your seatbelts United fans, and prepare for the worst - we can imagine more than a couple of tears will be shed if and when Fernandes makes his eventual departure.