- Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes excels once again
- Reds midfielder is on a list with Messi and Salah
- Above the likes of Mbappe and Alexander-Arnold
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes has once again demonstrated his quality, highlighted by a recent statistic revealed by Squawka.
In a list of the biggest chances created in Europe’s top five leagues since the 2017/18 season, Fernandes ranks fifth, behind only Lionel Messi, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohammed Salah, and Thomas Müller.
Fernandes joins an elite group of all-time greats, a remarkable feat given he only signed for United in January 2020.
The rest of the list features Kylian Mbappe, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joshua Kimmich, Rodrigo De Paul, and Serge Gnabry—some of the most talented and electrifying players in the world.
Bruno Magnifico
We can dig even deeper by looking at the number of big chances created per game.
When sorted by this metric, Fernandes climbs further up the list. He has created 131 big chances in 223 games, averaging 0.588 per match—surpassed only by De Bruyne (0.710) and Messi (0.857).
Consequently, it shows once again why Fernandes ranks among the world’s elite playmakers, combining vision, creativity, and consistency at the highest level. He is excelling in the chances created metric.
This season alone, he has generated 24 big chances in the Premier League—nine more than second-placed Rayan Cherki—an average of 0.857 per game, matching Messi’s output across his six seasons in Europe’s top five leagues during that period.
Looking at the bigger picture, Fernandes has created 101 chances in the league, averaging 2.6 per match, and sits a remarkable 43 ahead of the trio tied in second: Anton Stach, Declan Rice, and Dominik Szoboszlai.
United’s Portuguese skipper operates in a league entirely of his own. It’s why even rival fans are now starting to realise his enormous talent.
How far can he go?
With just seven games remaining in the Premier League, Fernandes stands on the brink of three major records.
Firstly, Fernandes sits on 16 assists, just four shy of the joint record held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry at 20. Land five more in the remaining seven games, and he would set a new personal milestone
The other two records relate to chances created. De Bruyne currently holds the Premier League season records for both most chances created and most big chances created. In 2019/20, the Belgian produced 34 big chances—10 more than Fernandes has managed this term—and 134 chances—33 more than Bruno.
As it stands, he will not hit any.
Based on his current averages, Fernandes will finish the season on 20 assists, equaling that record, while creating 110 chances and 30 big chances, narrowly falling short of De Bruyne’s all-time Premier League highs.
As a result, Manchester United’s skipper has seven games to hit top gear and conjure something extraordinary to surpass his former inter-city rival.
