Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has admitted one Arsenal player in particular would have been an ideal fit for the Reds, had he chosen to join them instead
08:21, 15 May 2026Updated 09:55, 15 May 2026
Bruno Fernandes would have liked to play alongside Declan Rice
Bruno Fernandes admitted feeling gutted when Declan Rice joined Arsenal, claiming he sees him as the perfect fit for Manchester United. The former West Ham captain was heavily linked with Old Trafford when the club were in the market for a midfielder amid the possibility of Paul Pogba leaving in 2021.
Rice had been on United’s wishlist for some time and The Manchester Evening News reported the midfielder had asked United players about the club. Jesse Lingard was a part of the England squad and it is understood that Rice spoke with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw about United.
Then‑manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer later admitted there had been discussions about signing Rice, a player he ‘really liked.’ In the end, a deal never materialised and United spent big on Raphael Varane.
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Two years later, Rice completed his switch to Arsenal for an initial £100m, rising by a further £5m in add‑ons, making him the most expensive English player of 2023.
And Fernandes admitted he wished the England midfielder had chosen Old Trafford instead. During an interview with Joel Beya, he said: “I’ve always said, Rice was a player to play for Man United, I was really sad when he chose to go Arsenal.
“I always thought he would be a perfect fit for our club.”
Meanwhile, Solskjaer expressed strong admiration for Rice even years after leaving the club. During an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, the Norwegian said: “Yeah, [there was interest] I really, really like him as a player.
“We discussed him a few times and I think we would have done well with him in midfield. I think his legs, covering the pitch. I think he improved a lot on his playmaking as well.”
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The interest in Rice came just a year after United signed Fernandes from Sporting CP for £47m – and the pair would have formed a dream midfield partnership. Rice is widely regarded as one of Europe’s premium midfielders capable of improving any side on the continent.
Although they don’t share a dressing room, both players have a strong mutual respect and trained together three years ago during a summer camp in Portugal.
Fernandes, who at the time delayed his return to Carrington after Portugal’s Euro 2024 commitments, trained alongside Rice as part of a group that also included Joao Cancelo and James Maddison at the Campus facility in the Algarve.
Footage from the session showed Rice hugging Fernandes after the Portuguese midfielder clipped the post with a first‑time volley during shooting practice. Fernandes later reposted a picture of the pair from the session, adding a handshake emoji and writing: “Was a pleasure to work with you.”
Fernandes and Rice have a clear mutual respect for one another
This season, Fernandes collected the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award ahead of the Arsenal star. However, the Portuguese will now go head‑to‑head with Rice for the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Season award.
Arsenal have three names on the list in Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes and David Raya. Manchester City pair Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland also feature, with Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs‑White and Brentford hitman Igor Thiago completing the line-up.
Fernandes has claimed 21 assists (in all competitions) and eight goals in 32 Premier League games this season, and is just one short of equalling the record held jointly by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry of 20 assists in a single Premier League season.
It has been another outstanding campaign for the United captain, whose form has surged since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January. He has also been central to United’s return to the Champions League.