RUBEN AMORIM HAS stressed his desire to keep Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes amid interest from Saudi Arabia, calling him “one of the top players in the world”.

The 30-year-old playmaker has starred for the Red Devils since joining from Sporting Lisbon in 2020, including scoring a brace in last Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League semi-final first-leg win at Athletic Bilbao.

The build-up to the return fixture at Old Trafford has been dominated by talk of interest in the United captain, with Al-Hilal reportedly plotting a big-money swoop.

Amorim revealed in March he had told the Portugal international he was “not going anywhere” following links to Real Madrid, with the head coach striking a similar tone amid talk of a summer move to Saudi Arabia.

“I think it is easy to understand (his importance) – not just because of the numbers but the way he plays, the importance that he has during his five years here,” Amorim said.

“He is a top player, we need top players. He is a leader, he’s the captain, so he’s really important.

“It’s normal that a lot of clubs want a player like Bruno, like (Alejandro) Garnacho, like others.

“But we want to keep the best players and Bruno is clearly one of the top players in the world, so our idea didn’t change. We want Bruno here.”

Also speaking in the build up the second leg, Alejandro Garnacho insists he is happy at United as speculation continues to rumble over his future.

The 20-year-old academy product has netted 26 goals in 140 appearances for the Red Devils, including scoring in last May’s FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City.

But Garnacho’s future is up in the air heading into the summer as United look to rebuild amid tight financial restrictions, with Chelsea and Napoli expressing interest during the winter transfer window.

“Obviously as a footballer you are always going to read and listen to some rumours about the future,” he said.

“But I have a contract here until 2028, so I’m happy here.”

Garnacho faced the media ahead of Thursday’s second leg – his first press conference as a United player.

The Argentina international sat alongside Amorim, who dropped him for December’s derby trip to Manchester City alongside Marcus Rashford.

Garnacho, unlike the England international, turned things around under the Portuguese and has started the last 13 matches in all competitions having gone from winger to number 10.

“I think it’s difficult for everyone when, in the middle of the season, a new manager comes in and we change the formation,” he said.

But we just need to follow the rules, and I try to improve every day. Obviously the manager knows the characteristics of the players.

“You see the games, too many times I play, for example, wide on the wing and the wing-back is coming inside, so what we try to do depends on the players we have and we are improving as a team also.

“It’s a little bit hard (to make the adaptation) but it’s just the mentality.

“The first two months, November and December, were very difficult for me but my mentality is to keep working, to keep trying and show to the manager and staff I have to play and that’s it.”