Wayne Rooney admits he was 'unsure' about £47m Manchester United signing

Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney (Picture: Getty)

Wayne Rooney has revealed he was initially ‘unsure’ about the merits of Manchester United signing influential midfielder Bruno Fernandes back in 2020.

Rooney’s former club completed a big-money deal for Fernandes in January 2020 , signing the Portuguese playmaker from Sporting.

Manchester United paid an initial £47m for Fernandes, with possible add-ons taking the overall value of the deal to £68m.

Fernandes made an immediate impact at Old Trafford and has been the most influential player at the club ever since, scoring 71 goals and making 72 assists in the Premier League alone.

The 2025-26 season was particularly fruitful for Fernandes, who broke the Premier League record for the most assists in a single campaign .

Fernandes was named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year and could yet take home the PFA Player of the Year award despite several Arsenal stars impressing in their long-awaited title win.

Rooney says Fernandes is the ‘first name on the teamsheet’ of his Premier League Team of the Season and admits he initially had doubts over his move to Manchester United.

Bruno Fernandes enjoyed a superb season at Old Trafford (Picture: Getty)

‘If you look at Bruno and what he’s doing at Manchester United, he’s the main part of the team and he’s making the players around him better as well,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast .

‘I think that’s a skill and all part of the process of becoming a top player. He’s been the main part. The best players bring players with them, they drag players along with them and make them better.

‘Bruno has done that and set the standard. I think some people look at Bruno and see him shouting at his teammates on the pitch or having a go at the referee and stuff like that.

Fernandes joined Man Utd in January 2020 (Picture: Getty)

‘But that’s just part of his character and I think that’s him keeping the players on their toes.

‘Bruno played with Ruben Amorim before so to go through that change in manager and still hit his targets and hit the standards all season, he would be the first name on this teamsheet for me.’

Rooney had some time with Fernandes towards the end of the season as the Manchester United captain appeared on his podcast.

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Asked whether Fernandes surprised him, Rooney added: ‘He did, yeah.

‘I’ve seen him around the training ground a few times and said hello but nothing in depth. So that was the first time I’ve properly spoke with him.

‘When he first joined Manchester United I was a bit unsure if I’m being honest. The perception from me and a lot of people I spoke to was we didn’t really like how he is on the pitch.

‘But I remember speaking to [Manchester United coach] Darren Fletcher a few years ago about Bruno and he was telling me how good he is and how good he is with the players and as a captain.

‘So that changed my mind and when I met him he was brilliant. He’s a leader, he thinks about football a lot, he takes it really seriously. I think his knowledge of football, you could tell, it was clear.

‘And he wants to be better, the best he can, he wants his teammates to be better as well which is really important.’

Fernandes helped Manchester United recover from a difficult start to the season to finish third in the Premier League and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

United’s form in the second-half of the season earned Michael Carrick the permanent job at Old Trafford after his stint as interim manager.