Bruno Fernandes’ impact on Man Utd is earning admiration in the Premier League

Manchester United defeated fourth place Aston Villa on Sunday with Fernandes producing two vital assists at Old Trafford. His performance adds to his tally of assists, putting him at 16, eight clear of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, who sits second. With eight games left in the season, he is now only five assists away from breaking the record for most assists by a single player in a season. The record is currently held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne with 20 assists. 

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Thierry Henry achieved the record in the 2002/2003 season with 20 assists. 18 years later, Kevin De Bruyne became the joint record holder in the 2019/2020 season. Since then, there have been several players who have approached the record: Mohamed Salah with 18 assists (2024/2025), Harry Kane with 14 assists (2020/2021), and Fernandes with 16 assists. Comparing De Bruyne’s highest assisting season with Fernandes, on matchweek 30, De Bruyne had accumulated 12 assists, while Fernandes is on 16, according to FotMob. 

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As Fernandes continues to contribute, his performances have brought in admiration all around the Premier League. Jack Grealish, currently on loan at Everton, posted his 6-word appraisal during the match. “Bruno is absolutely unbelievable footballer man.” Following the match, Arsenal legend and record holder Thierry Henry gave his words of approval while speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. Henry stated that Bruno, “doesn’t play football, he thinks it.” His importance to the team and to the club is heavily emphasized by Manchester United Interim Manager Michael Carrick. In his post-match press conference, Carrick had much approval of Fernandes and his role at the club. “He’s important for us and he’s definitely not one we would want to lose.” 

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With eight games remaining in the season, Fernandes is the next player in line to force their name into the Premier League record books. He only needs four more assists to tie, and five more to break it. Manchester United will face AFC Bournemouth on Friday at the Vitality Stadium.