Manchester United intends to renew Bruno Fernandes' contract before the World Cup! Emphasizing his core role and keeping the captain happy to maintain his outstanding form.

On the assists leaderboard across Europe's top five leagues, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes shares the top spot, with only Bayern Munich's Olise matching his performance. The UK's "The Sun" reveals that United's mid-season efforts to reassure the 31-year-old Portuguese midfielder are believed to have helped him rediscover his best form.

Last summer, Manchester United considered selling Bruno Fernandes to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, with the wealthy oil-backed side offering £80 million and a weekly wage of £70,000. Ultimately, former Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim urged the club not to sell Bruno and persuaded the player to stay.

In December, Bruno Fernandes expressed his sadness in an interview with Portuguese media over United's consideration of offloading him. It is reported that after that, United took action, repeatedly assuring the Portuguese stalwart that they absolutely did not want him to leave this time.

According to "The Sun," United's management assured Bruno that the club now hopes he will be a core leader for United's future success. Insiders believe that those measures at the time were one of the reasons behind Bruno's subsequent fiery form.

Bruno Fernandes is now a strong contender for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, with a 38% chance of winning. He has already broken David Beckham's Manchester United record of 16 assists in a single season and is just two assists away from matching the Premier League record of 20 assists shared by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry. With five games remaining, he could well surpass it.

Manchester United certainly won't win the Premier League title this season, but winning the league isn't a prerequisite for the Player of the Year award. Historically, 16 PFA award winners played for teams that didn't lift the trophy, such as Ginola in 1998/99, Henry in 2002/03, Gerrard in 2005/06, and De Bruyne in 2019/20.

Bruno Fernandes' contract with the club expires next year, but there is an option to extend for one more year. The United captain has stated this season that he likely will return to Portugal or Italy to finish his career, where he started. His current contract includes a €65 million (£56.5 million) release clause, which can only be activated by clubs outside England.

However, United has expressed hope that Bruno Fernandes will lead the team toward the ambitious goal of winning the Premier League before 2028. That is part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group's "Project 150," aiming to secure United's 14th Premier League title to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary. Former teammate Paul Pogba remarked this week that Bruno's absence from the Ballon d'Or top ten is due to his lack of major trophies. "If Bruno were at Manchester City, he'd definitely be in the Ballon d'Or top three," Pogba said. "His stats, his style, everything is great, but if you don't win trophies, people don't pay attention."

Bruno Fernandes has expressed his happiness playing for United in recent weeks, and club executives believe that with Champions League qualification almost secured, the captain's future should be assured. United goalkeeper Sena Ramens also stated after Saturday's 1-0 win over Chelsea that Bruno intends to remain at the club after this season.

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told "Football Insider" that the club hopes to agree on a new contract with Bruno Fernandes before the World Cup. Like former manager Amorim, current manager Carrick also opposes selling Bruno and insists on keeping him.

Brown explained: "Manchester United wants Bruno to sign a new contract. Ideally, this should be done before the World Cup so he can focus entirely on the tournament without being distracted by speculation. It's good news that United now wants to keep him, because previously the situation was uncertain—they even considered letting him go last year. That was outrageous and reflects some of the poor decisions made since Ratcliffe took over, failing to recognize his importance to the team."

Regarding Carrick's stance, Brown added: "This is now obvious because Bruno has performed so well this season, especially under Carrick's management, and Carrick is determined to keep him. If Carrick eventually gets the permanent job, he wants to ensure the club retains Bruno, as he has proven his importance to the team."