Bruno Fernandes crowned Premier League Player of the Season after a record-equalling campaign for Manchester United, matching Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s all-time assist tally of 20
Bruno Fernandes has been crowned the Premier League Player of the Season following his exceptional year with Manchester United.
The 31-year-old Red Devils’ star has equalled and might yet beat the record for most assists in a campaign, held jointly with Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne. Fernandes also scooped the Football Writers’ Association’s Men’s Footballer of the Year award – the first United player to claim the men’s FWA accolade since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
The Portuguese maestro has netted eight goals and provided an impressive 20 assists, with his creative prowess coming to the fore. He tops several metrics in the final third as he continues to dazzle for the Red Devils, despite ending the season without any silverware.
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He has been instrumental in their resurgence since January, playing a key role as the team climbed to third place to secure a Champions League berth. Fernandes’ 20th assist of the season set up Bryan Mbeumo in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest last week, placing him in esteemed company alongside De Bruyne and former Arsenal forward Henry.
Over the course of the season, Fernandes has crafted 132 chances, the highest in the Premier League and a staggering 43 more than the next best, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, reports the Mirror.
The Red Devils star has not only matched but surpassed David Beckham as United’s top creator. Beckham previously held the record for the most assists by a Manchester player in a single Premier League season, with his tally of 15 in the 1999/2000 campaign.
Not everyone was happy with him lifting the honour however, as celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan moaned on X: “Ridiculous… Declan Rice should have won this.
“Absolute travesty that someone whose team never once competed for the title wins over a guy whose brilliance all season led us to the title.”
Fernandes will be amongst the frontrunners to claim the PFA Player of the Year award, which would cap off a remarkable year on a personal level. The United star will probably face competition from Arsenal pair Gabriel and Rice.
Despite his outstanding displays, Fernandes recently told Sky Sports that his accomplishments will be measured by what the team achieves. “I haven’t achieved everything I wanted,” he said.
“I’ve never hidden that I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League with the club. I might do it, I might not. But until I get the chance or until I’m here to do that, I’m going to try.
“Is it going to be difficult? Yes. You have top clubs in the league that have been winning the league for so many years and being consistently there and we’re not.”