Mauricio Pochettino stance on Bruno Fernandes revealed before Manchester United move

Mauricio Pochettino looks set to finally get his wish as he closes in on being appointed as the new Manchester United manager.

The arrival of Pochettino could be good news for Bruno Fernandes, as he looks to rediscover his best form.

In the summer of 2019, Pochettino was in charge at Tottenham and pushed hard to bring Fernandes, then still a Sporting player, to north London.

Fernandes was desperate to make the move but Sporting held firm. Six months later, he signed for United.

Will Bruno Fernandes have a long-term Manchester United future under Mauricio Pochettino?

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“Obviously I wanted to go to the Premier League,” Fernandes told The Athletic, reflecting on that period.

“The [Tottenham] manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was the one who wanted me there. It was a good offer but Sporting tried their best to keep me.

“The president spoke with me but he spoke with me on the wrong day. It was the day after they decided to refuse the offer from Tottenham and I was really angry.”

Fernandes broke the Premier League assist record last season but he has been well off his best since the start of this campaign.

He has four goals and two assists in the league, but those all came in two matches against Ipswich and Aston Villa.

A fresh start in terms of managers will be good news for Fernandes, who has had a tense relationship with Carrick in recent weeks.

Club sources indicated that Fernandes then returned to the team after clear-the-air talks with Carrick, but the midfielder dismissed that.

“A lot of lies around many things that have happened between me and the manager,” Fernandes said.

“That we have cleared the air, then after that the manager took the decision to put me on the bench because I’m not performing. That’s fair.

“Everyone thought that was a punishment for the words that I had. And, if it was, it was right. The manager is the one who makes the decisions.”

It is now set to be Pochettino’s job to keep Fernandes happy and get him performing on a consistent basis again.

At Tottenham, Pochettino developed Dele Alli into an elite midfielder. When he then took charge of Chelsea, Cole Palmer played his best football for the Blues with Pochettino in the dugout.

They are both different types of player to Fernandes, but Pochettino’s record of getting attacking midfielders to thrive under his guidance bodes well.

More than seven years after trying to sign Fernandes, Pochettino is set to finally get the chance to show what he can do with him.