Bruno Fernandes has revealed he looks at Italian legend and one-club man Francesco Totti's time at Roma as similar to his own loyalty to Manchester United during a period where he could have left the club.
Fernandes has made no secret of his offers from elsewhere, and earlier this week told Portuguese media that United "wanted him to go in the summer" -- something he backtracks on in an interview with the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, released on Thursday.
The Portugal international remains at Old Trafford as club captain and said his loyalty was evident when they were "struggling the most," much like Totti who spent over 20 years at his boyhood club Roma.
"When I came to the club, apart from loving being here and loving the club, I think my loyalty was like in the toughest periods I had the club and I could have left in two times," Fernandes told the former United defender.
"I said, the club said, no, we need you. And I said, OK. You gave me something. I will give you something.
"Obviously, I think the time at the club has not been as I wanted because obviously, I wanted to lift trophies and I haven't lift as many as I should and I could.
"So nowadays people talk more like you are a better player or a worse player if you win or you lose trophies. It changed a lot because if I look at the past, Totti is known as one of the best players in Italy and unfortunately for him he hasn't won many trophies.
"But I think if you look back everyone says he's one of the best that ever played for Italy. Totti at Rome, they haven't won since him. It hasn't changed much and he still is like the God of Rome.
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Fernandes also reiterated the opportunities that have been presented to him during his time at the club, even suggesting he may have won more trophies away from United.
"I think when we struggled the most, I stayed present to the club and I think everyone at the club, I hope is aware of that because the chances I had were very good," he said.
"So I'm very aware that I could have done a different path. I could have gone in a different way and probably winning more trophies and people talking about me in a different way because I've had trophies into my cabinet.
"But at the same time, I think everything I've done for the club in a certain way was still very important and not taking nothing away from other players that were here and everything."