Bruno reveals long talks about future

The Portugal international has signed a new contract until 2026, with the option to extend by a further year, and has been reassured during the negotiations that the Reds are taking steps to revive the glory days.

The new deal is just reward for the midfielder's efforts since signing from Sporting in 2020 and he is looking forward to helping the club compete for silverware again, during this period.

“I believe that the club will be back at the place it deserves to be,” said Bruno, in an exclusive interview with MUTV's Stewart Gardner.

“That’s why I signed a new deal. That’s why [with] the new deal, we started to talk with the club a long time ago.

“One of the points I wanted to make was the club coming to me, and not me going to the club, and it’s something that makes me proud, makes me feel I’m doing the right things. The club think I deserve something new, they think that what they proposed to me in the beginning is not at the same level. 

“So, that is something that I want to be thankful to the club [for], for doing that and it shows if you do the right things, if you do the right work, you will have the rewards of that,” he added.

“For me, I had long talks with the club, not about the contract but about the future of the club because I want to be part of that, if I stay.

“Obviously, now I’ve signed a new contract, I will stay, and I want to understand what the club wants. The club wants to win, the club wants to build something. From what they have told me, I believe that the club will be back to its standards. Probably not next season at the standard that we want, but I think step by step, I think that the club will be back in the glorious days.”

Fernandes also reassured the fans that the players will be doing everything they can to finish the campaign on a high, starting with Saturday's home game against Leicester City.

“That’s the most important [thing] now, to end the season the best way we can,” he explained. “You have to understand that it is not enough, everything that we have done this season. We know the standards of this club, the standards of these players have to be something more, we are all aware of that.

“But now, there is nothing you can do, the maximum that we can do is going into every game to win, to show the fans you are still fighting for the club, still doing your best, even though you know that you will not lift any trophy this season. We know the fans deserve that we fight until the end.”