Bruno Fernandes says Manchester United deserve to end their five-year trophy wait – and reckons they can win the Champions League and FA Cup this season.
The last trophy United won was the Europa League in 2017, under former boss Jose Mourinho, which saw them qualify for the Champions League after finishing sixth in the league that year.
Fernandes knows the Premier League title is out of reach, with Manchester City so far ahead at the top, with United now locked in a battle to secure the final Champions League spot.
But Fernandes does believe United, despite their struggles this season, have enough quality and experience to potentially go all the way in the FA Cup and Champions League.
And Fernandes, who celebrates two years at United at the weekend, reckons Ralf Rangnick's squad – who moved up to fourth with Saturday's last-gasp win over West Ham – deserve to lift a trophy.
“Of course, in the league it's too far now,” said Fernandes. “We have to be realistic and we have to fight for the top four and being in the Champions League next season.
“But, at the same time, fight for the Champions League and the FA Cup. I don't care what people think or can say about us winning the Champions League or FA Cup.
“I think we have the chance to win them, the qualities to win them and, most of all, we are in those competitions. Until we are out, we have to believe we can win those competitions.
“My ambition is still the same. I want to win trophies with the club. That will always be in my mind until the last day I'm at the club.
“I don't know when that will be but, until then, I will believe that I can win trophies with this club, because I think we can.
“I think the club deserves it, the fans deserve it and also the players – we deserve to win a trophy.
“Whatever that is, we have to do it step by step and understand we have those qualities.
“But we have to understand how to do it, how to put everything together – the qualities, the intensity and everything.”
Fernandes, who joined United from Sporting Lisbon for an initial fee of £47million, rising to a potential £67m, said his lowest point since joining was losing in last season's Europa League final.
United and Villarreal drew 1-1 in Gdansk, with the Spanish side lifting the trophy after edging an epic penalty shoot-out 11-10, a defeat that still rankles with Portugal playmaker Fernandes.
Asked the one match he could replay since joining United, Fernandes said: “Probably the final of the Europa League – that was the most difficult until now, because I felt the better team lost.
“Obviously congratulations to Villarreal. They played a really good game and the team that won is always the best one, you can say.
“But no, obviously, that was the one I would like to repeat. I'm sure if we played that one again, we would win.”
