Bruno Fernandes: United's Idol, Unsigned and In Demand

Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty in front of a sell-out Croke Park crowd on Tuesday night, and it barely registered as the awkward moment of Manchester United's evening. That distinction belonged to the fans who could not wait for full time to reach him, and to a club hierarchy back in Manchester still working out how, or whether, to tie down its most adored player before his contract runs down further.

Scenes at Croke Park

United's fixture against Leeds carried historic weight before kick-off: the first "soccer" match between two English clubs at the Gaelic Athletic Association's 82,500-capacity headquarters, staged in front of a sold-out house. Carrick took Fernandes off after an hour as one of five substitutions, and the ovation that followed said plenty about where the captain stands with supporters.

Fernandes had already gone close twice. One effort was flagged offside, and another shot from just outside the box - teed up by a short pass from new signing Youri Tielemans - cannoned off the crossbar rather than in. Then came the selfie-seekers: fan after fan darted onto the turf until officials abandoned the contest at the 90-minute mark, level at 1-1, and moved straight to a shootout. Fernandes missed his own spot-kick, but Noussair Mazraoui held his nerve to make it 5-4.

None of that changed the pre-season table. It did confirm something already true before United arrived in Dublin: no player in this squad commands the same devotion from the fanbase.

A contract that will not resolve itself

That devotion isn't new, but last season gave it fresh justification. Fernandes contributed nine goals and a record 21 assists as United finished third in the Premier League and secured a return to the Champions League - figures that help explain why suitors are circling again rather than simply admiring from afar.

A year ago it was a "will-he, won't-he" saga after Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal tabled a huge offer. This time round, Juventus, AC Milan and Galatasaray have all been credited with interest in the 31-year-old, whose deal carries a release clause worth £57m that applies only to clubs outside England. Whether United would sanction his exit if that clause were ever tested is still unclear.

The Al-Hilal episode still stings. Fernandes said in December that he had felt "hurt" after United officials told him accepting the offer was entirely his own call. He is now in the final year of his current deal, which includes an option for United to extend it by one more season, and no fresh terms have been agreed. It is understood that Fernandes would prefer to stay at United long-term, and back in April he said competing for trophies remains his priority. Wanting to stay and having a deal in place, though, are two different things.

The wage-bill balancing act

Balancing that loyalty against the club's finances is where things get complicated. United are working to control their overall wage bill even as Fernandes' output makes a strong case for a substantial pay rise. Marcus Rashford's return to the squad, and his position as the club's top earner, only adds another variable to what any renewal for Fernandes should look like.

This is the balancing act now facing United: a captain fans would not let leave the pitch in peace on Tuesday, and a boardroom weighing his worth against a wage structure it is trying to hold in check.

The Tielemans effect

On the pitch, at least, the argument for keeping Fernandes needs little extra proof. His developing partnership with Tielemans already looks productive - the Belgian's pass for the effort that struck the bar was one sign of it - and Tielemans himself spoke on Tuesday about the connection forming between them, evidence that Carrick's midfield is building around its captain rather than despite him.

Rashford's parallel return

Fernandes wasn't the only story at Croke Park. Marcus Rashford sat the match out entirely, alongside England's Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina's Lisandro Martinez. Rashford and Mainoo had only returned to training on Monday following their World Cup involvement, while Martinez landed in Dublin a day afterward, having played in the final. Any or all of the trio could feature in Saturday's closing pre-season fixture against AC Milan in Wroclaw.

If selected in Wroclaw, Rashford would face Ruben Amorim again, the manager he clashed with only weeks into Amorim's tenure after arriving from Sporting in November 2024 - and who also left Mainoo out of Premier League starting line-ups before his own sacking in January. Twelve months ago few expected Rashford to be back at United at all: Barcelona chose not to pay the £26m needed to make his loan permanent, and he now looks set to stay and play for Carrick, once his team-mate, later his coach, and briefly caretaker manager for three matches following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal in November 2021.

"He's our player," Carrick told ITV. "He's come back great. I've known him a long time and he gives us something a little bit different."

It's a smaller subplot than the Fernandes contract question, but it belongs to the same summer: a squad United are trying to reshape without overspending, with the captain's future still the piece that matters most.

Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.