Seems it’s difficult to have reasonable discussion about letting go of a player like Bruno, which isn’t surprising.
He has been at the heart of most of the good moments we have had as fans in recent times. He is excellent in the media and personally I do believe he genuinely cares about what happens to United beyond what many others would do in a similar position (playing for a club in, yes, perennial turmoil and disappointed expectations). Add to that his near constant availability, all-action, maverick kind of play style…he is bound to create a lot of attachment in the fan base.
I think this transfer discussion is kind of moot, since I don’t see him moving to Saudi at all. It’s not competitive enough for him given his personality and career moment. He also makes really good money at United, so it wouldn’t be the kind of life defining payday it is for some players on the lower rungs in the game.
However, if it was actually possible to sell him for the kind of money being discussed, I would probably be cashing in. It’s not without risk, but I do think he is overvalued by a lot of our fans and given his age it’s unlikely that he will get any better going forward. I also agree with others here that the top clubs in Europe are not interested in pursuing him at the required transfer price and wage levels. They probably never really were either because of the limitations he has as a player.
The way I see it, Bruno has incredible levels in a few high value, high attention generating traits. His vision for and execution on passes in transitional moments or when he gets time on the ball is off the scale. He scores brilliant, memorable goals, never misses a penalty and is a solid set-piece taker. In a team that struggles to create any moments, he seems like a godsend in so many matches with the ones he does create. His work rate, defensive contribution and availability are incredibly endearing and secondly places him in even more moments that resonate with fans and tend to stick in memory.
I also think he is a very lopsided player though. He lacks key abilities that are highly valued at the top level for a player in his position(s), which is why I don’t see him ever being targeted for real by a club at that tier given the level of wages he now commands. And also why he shouldn’t placed in that category for the purposes of assessing his value to United’s squad and future.
He is not athletic or physical. Sure, he can run all day and gets proper stuck in when it comes to dueling, but apart from creating a bit of extra space or time for himself with dummies, feints, clever flick-ons and the like when receiving a pass, he struggles to progress the ball outside of transitional moments or when otherwise given time on the ball. He doesn’t have a burst of pace or the kind of close control and passing finesse in tight spaces that allows him to reliably receive on the half-turn against settled defenses or when being pressed, and either find someone with a through ball or beat at man to create space for himself or a teammate. He isn’t strong or quick on his feet either, so he can’t bring others into play by holding up the ball and doesn’t draw fouls around the box like a tricky attacker would do.
Someone like De Bruyne had most of these traits combined with a good chunk of the vision that Bruno possesses in spades. For a club aspiring to be a league contender you will face a lot of teams that try to play defensively (i.e. tactics like low block, high pressing etc.), where Brunos qualities don’t shine as much. Maybe prime De Bruyne seems like a tough comparison, but that’s the level we’re talking about if it’s being a starter at the top level in Europe.
If you move him down to central midfield his quality on the pass comes more into play, but especially against pressing sides – of which there many in the Premier League – his deficiencies on the half-turn and in terms of carrying the ball through speed and dribbling manifest themselves again. He is too easy to marginalize in this position as well because he can’t carry properly and needs time to receive and turn for his passing to become a threat. What you risk happening then is what we have seen many times over the past years, when he tries to build from deep – that he loses the ball in dangerous positions and creates turnovers that threaten our own backline. There are too many scenarios where the range of his tools for progression are too limited to be good enough for an elite side at the base. Not to mention that if you position him here, the returns from his most valuable traits, that visionary killer pass and the finishing, will show themselves less frequently.
I think of him as kind of roided Juan Mata. Does key things exceptionally well, has amazing moments and an engaging personality with much more staying power and raw work rate than Mata could ever summon. If you chose to build around his vision and work rate in a transition focused team, you could get quite far, I think. Just not Premier League or Champions League kind of far. And that’s what we’re going for here.
The main concern I might have with selling him at this moment would be the potential reputational impact in the market. Would it risk signaling that we can’t sell the project internally? Does his presence help us attract better players and keep a floor level in the team creatively that could be risky saying goodbye to with all the changes that are bound to be coming?
It might also unsettle the squad because of his role as a leader at United. He seems well liked and has saved the team many times. But even that could be overvalued. There are just as many examples of him reacting poorly to situations requiring on-pitch leadership, and he has been an ever-present part of a side that has crumbled spectacularly on so many occasions. As a leading player he bears some level of responsibility for this as well. If he was an elite level leader, wouldn’t he be in general be a galvanizing presence and make his teammates better in those difficult moments – not to mention playing his best football, when the chips are down? Not saying he never does, but it's a mixed bag for me.
He is still our best and most eye-catching player, but for me that’s not because he is truly elite on the whole, but because he has elite traits being highlighted even further by playing in a pretty average side over the years. If we could clear out his enormous wages AND receive a large fee for him that will boost us in terms of buying for the next stages of squad development, I think we should do it.
I would thank him and celebrate him for all the great moments, offer him an ambassadorial role, when he hangs up his boots (or perhaps even more if he is interested) and probably honor his contribution in some visible way when the new stadium is built. I think his story at United deserves that.
