Manchester United have plenty to do in their bid to move back towards title contention in the midst of their most disappointing season yet.
The 20-time champions of England find themselves 14th in the Premier League table despite a busy summer and a mid-season change of manager, replacing Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim.
Captain Bruno Fernandes has been a divisive figure throughout the campaign, attracting sharp criticism from the likes of Roy Keane while receiving the ongoing backing of senior figures at the club.
Bruno Fernandes admits he had chance to leave Manchester United
The Portuguese skipper has still occasionally shown his ability to get Manchester United out of a jam, however.
His opening goal against Arsenal helped United claim a decent point on Sunday, and Fernandes followed that up with a hat-trick against Real Sociedad to put United through to the Europa League quarter-finals.
But Fernandes, recognised by FourFourTwo in our list of the best attacking midfielders in the world, admits that he had to have something with a heart-to-heart with the United hierarchy last summer after the club received a transfer bid for his services.
Fernandes told the BBC: "I sat [down] with the club because I had an offer to leave. We talked about the possibility of me leaving the club or staying.
"They said what they wanted from me. I just asked if they still see me as part of the future of the club or not.
"I spoke at the time with Ten Hag also. He was very clear with me, the club was very clear with me, that they thought I would be a big part of this rebuild. I thought that we could be successful."
Fernandes remains content with his decision despite United's ongoing struggles, adding: "We can't relax at this club. We need to prove ourselves every day in training and every day that we have a game.
"I'm in the same boat as my teammates. It doesn't matter how much you do, how much you score, how much you assist...it's about the team.
"I'm very happy at the club. Obviously, I want to win trophies. I want to be in the biggest competitions, I want to fight for the big trophies.
"That's what I said to the club. That's what the club said to me that they want to do."
