Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has questioned the club’s wisdom after they failed to push through a deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes this summer.

The Portugal international was linked with a big-money move to Old Trafford all summer, with Tottenham also interested, but ultimately any deal fell through.

It is believed that United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward pulled the plug on the €65m (£58.9m) deal as there were concerns over whether Fernandes could translate his remarkable form in Portugal to the much tougher Premier League.

But with United reported on Tuesday as to be revisiting the possibility of signing the 24-year-old in January, Saha reckons their lack of creativity from midfield this season means he should have been brought in already.

The Frenchman told Record: “Bruno Fernandes is a player of great technical quality who could be extremely decisive at various points in United’s game, but more than that, he’s a born leader and that’s what Manchester United are missing this season.

“Only time can tell, but judging from everything that has happened, United made a mistake by not buying Bruno Fernandes and not signing a creative midfield player.”

One man who will leave United in the meantime, however, is Alexis Sanchez, with a loan deal with Inter Milan finally agreed; the player seemingly forced to leave after reportedly being given a brutal ultimatum by United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

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