Sporting boss unsure on Fernandes’ future

Marcel Keizer admits he is unsure what the future holds for Sporting Lisbon captain Bruno Fernandes amid speculation he’s set for a move to the Premier League.

The 24-year-old midfielder is one of the hottest prospects in Portuguese football and is being linked with a move to England, with Manchester rivals City and United among the clubs being touted. Fernandes, who has 48 goals and 37 assists in 107 games for Sporting, took advantage of being in the shop window against Liverpool in the United States during Wednesday’s 2-2 pre-season friendly draw.

He scored his side’s opening goal, albeit after a howler from Simon Mignolet in goal, and also laid on the second for Wendel in an impressive display against the European champions. He fired 32 goals and registered 17 assists in all competitions last season and coach Keizer admits he is in the dark although he would clearly prefer the player to stay put.

“Bruno is a very good player who is important for us. Everybody would like him to stay,” he said. “The situation is that he is her, but we don’t know what the future will bring.” The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rui Patricio, Eric Dier, Marcos Rojo and Islam Slimani have all made the move from Sporting to the Premier League. However, Keizer says he’s not the man to ask about any prospective deal.

“You ask the wrong guy! I am just the coach. When clubs want Bruno, they don’t call me. We know he plays very well, we know that clubs like him, so we have to see what happens,” he added. “The job of the coach is to realise that some players will go before the end of the window. Every player can go and we can also buy players.”