"He was a really good player" - Bruno Fernandes reveals he was surprised by Manchester United's decision to let academy star leave

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has expressed his surprise at how the club decided to let academy graduate Maxi Oyedele leave in the summer. The midfielder was among the academy stars sold by the club to generate funds in the summer after a spell away from the club on loan.

Oyedele trained with the senior Manchester United side before heading out briefly on loan to Forest Green Rovers, where he played between January and February 2024. The 19-year-old had caught the eyes of a number of sides, and Legia Warsaw snapped him up for just £500,000 this summer.

Bruno Fernandes trained with Oyedele for the Red Devils, and the two men faced each other in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday. Oyedele had received his first call-up to the senior Poland national team, and he played against Fernandes and Portugal.

Fernandes exchanged shirts with the youngster after the game and spoke with the press about the talented midfielder. He revealed his surprise at having seen him leave the club in the summer, extolling his virtues as a top talent.

"I think he was always one of the players that everyone at the club thought he would be one of the ones coming from the Academy into the first-team. He has great qualities, he's a great kid and really humble, works a lot, works really hard. Another one technically really, really good and I wish him all the best. He knows he has his qualities so he came to Poland, he's enjoying his football and that is the most important thing for him to play a lot of minutes and now he's with the national team so it's a big thing for him."

Maxi Oyedele made his senior international debut in the game against Portugal, featuring from the start in midfield. The Legia Warsaw man was on the pitch for 66 minutes before he was replaced by Jakub Moder.

Previously eligible to play for England and Nigeria, Oyedele has been impressive since his arrival in his native Poland. The youngster has appeared four times so far this season for Legia, and has a growing list of admirers in Polish football.

Former Manchester United academy star wanted by European giants - Reports

Former Manchester United academy player Alvaro Fernandez is on the radar of several of Europe's top sides after catching the eye at Benfica. The Portuguese club paid just £5 million to secure the services of the left-back, who was deemed to be surplus to requirements at the club.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have registered their interest in the defender, according to CaughtOffside. Manchester United retain a buy-back clause for the Spanish left-back, but he may prefer to move to one of Europe's top sides, instead.

Despite injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, Erik ten Hag sanctioned the sale of Fernandez to Benfica after a loan spell in Portugal. The 21-year-old has been impressive for the club, featuring domestically and in the UEFA Champions League.