Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes continues to write his name in the club’s history books, and that was the case in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa. The Portuguese playmaker is enjoying perhaps his best season since arriving at Old Trafford in January 2020.
Fernandes has lit up the Theatre of Dreams ever since he set foot on the pitch. But there’s something special about this campaign following a summer of uncertainty over his future.
The 31-year-old was linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League, and an astronomical contract offer was put on the table. But he declined, eager to help United bounce back from the club’s worst season in history.
We need to talk about Bruno
Fernandes came to the fore once again against Villa, a creative machine in the middle of the park. He found Casemiro with an excellent corner in the 53rd minute for the opener.
Villa equalised through Ross Barkley, who found the bottom corner of Senne Lammens’ net 11 minutes later. Cometh the hour, cometh the man as the Reds’ skipper produced a stunning assist for Matheus Cunha, drilling the ball in the path of the Brazilian to fire past Emiliano Martinez in the 71st-minute.
Benjamin Sesko came off the bench and once again found the back of the net to make it three 20 minutes later. The Slovenian could have bagged a brace if he hadn’t squandered a golden opportunity presented to him by Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder laughed in response to Sesko wasting that chance, but it didn’t matter. His second assist saw him eclipse David Beckham with the most assists for a United player in a single Premier League campaign.
Fernandes has now registered 16 assists in 27 league outings, surpassing Beckham’s record of 15 in the 1999-2000 season. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold, and fans will be eager for him to get his hands on a Premier League title before his Old Trafford career ends.
Bruno isn’t boasting
Fernandes has thrived since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim, returning to his preferred number 10 role. He was still sensational when playing deeper in Amorim’s system, but there’s nothing quite like watching him at his very best, where he’s the best in the top-flight.
While the Manchester United captain was proud to have broken Beckham’s record, he spoke with humility after the game. Asked by Sky Sports about the achievement, he replied:
“I’m more proud and more pleased because I did it serving my teammates. That’s even better, giving joy to others is also very good when you play in the position I play. So I’m very happy I can help them to score and to be happy in their moments. Obviously, it’s a huge achievement for me, but the main achievement will be in the top spots at the end of the season.
Fernandes is now chasing the all-time record for assists from any player in a Premier League campaign. He sits on 16, four shy of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s joint record of 20.
