BRUNO Fernandes is set to have his Manchester United salary doubled to over £200 000-a-week to make him the fifth-highest earner at the club, according to reports.
The Portuguese midfielder is in great form for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season with 22 goals and 13 assists in all competitions as the Red Devils aim to finish their English Premier League season strongly and challenge for the FA Cup and Europa League.
Fernandes joined the Red Devils in January 2020 in a £67 million deal from Sporting Lisbon and penned a five-and-a-half year contract at Old Trafford.
But according to The Sun, the 26-year-old’s performances have earned him a significant wage hike from the £100 000-a-week flat-rate salary he earns in his £180 000-a-week contract overall.
The report claims Fernandes is currently the seventh-highest earner at United with goalkeeper David de Gea currently owning the most lucrative contract on £375 000-a-week.
Paul Pogba is United’s second-highest earner with a £290 000-a-week deal with attacking trio Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani and Marcus Rashford behind the Frenchman but all of them earn more than £200 000-a-week.
Club captain Harry Maguire is the other player who currently earns more than Fernandes with a £190 000-a-week overall deal.
Fernandes was pivotal to Manchester United’s ascent to a top-four spot towards the back end of last season with the Portuguese international scoring 12 goals in 22 matches in his first six months at Old Trafford.
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This season, Fernandes’ goals meant the Red Devils flirted with a title challenge over the winter but Manchester City’s sensational domestic winning run since Christmas and a few slip-ups from Solskjaer’s side mean United lie 14 points behind their rivals.
Fernandes’ importance to United was shown by Solskjaer’s declaration that he would not allow the midfielder to play for Portugal later this month if he had to spend a 10-day isolation period on his return as per UK Government rules.
Portugal is one of the countries on the “red list”, requiring anyone returning from one of them to the UK to quarantine in a government approved hotel for 10 days —with no exemptions made for athletes.
But it was revealed on Thursday that the Portuguese national team moved their Lisbon encounter to the Juventus Stadium in Turin and will prepare for their matches in Serbia and Luxembourg — which are not on the “red list” — in the same Italian city.—Daily Mail
