Bruno Fernandes: Brentford boss Keith Andrews analyses Man United star

Instead, where the London side were wasteful, the Red Devils were ruthless, converting two of their three best chances in the first half to go 2-0 up before the interval. The third, a bullet header by Harry Maguire, required Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher to make a fantastic save to claw it away.

While it was not Fernandes’ best performance of an imperious campaign, it is a testament to his consistency and quality that he still ultimately made the difference, as his pinpoint delivery helped create Casemiro’s opening goal, while his rampaging run through the heart of Brentford’s defence set up Sesko for the second.

It puts the Portugal international on 19 assists for the season, just one away from [equalling the Premier League record](https://www.premierleague.com/en/news/4643147/fernandes-matches-ronaldo-for-premier-league-goal-involvements#:~:text=Thierry%20Henry%20(20%20assists%20in,the%20current%20joint%2Drecord%20holders.), held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. With four games remaining, momentum suggests there will be a new record holder at the end of May.

Momentum is also building for Fernandes to be crowned Player of the Year, with no other contender coming close to the level he is operating at, even if his team will not challenge for any major honours. There is precedent for winners coming from sides who have not won anything themselves, however.

United’s Talisman

Andrews, who took charge of Brentford last summer, was asked whether Fernandes deserved the award in a press conference after the match. And while the 45-year-old Irishman did not answer specifically, he described the United captain as a “talismanic figure”, suggesting he was a worthy winner.

“He is a top player and has been for a number of years for United, a talismanic figure and he has been at the forefront of what they have done.” Andrews went on to praise the “spirit” around the Red Devils, despite the negativity and chaos which engulfed Old Trafford earlier in the season after Ruben Amorim’s dismissal.

“Everyone is going on about United and the change from them, and the obvious one is the managerial one,” he said. “We have changed a lot ourselves. We have evolved a lot. With United, there is definitely a spirit around the group and they have got some individual talent.”

The Brentford head coach was quick to point out how “happy” he was with his own players’ performance, given the Bees were very unlucky to emerge as losers from the end-to-end clash.

“I was really happy with how we performed overall. United started better than us, dangerous from corner kicks and got the lead. We calmed down after that, got to grips with the game, the occasion, the opposition better. We needed to control transitions better. The second goal was really disappointing, the timing and where we were in the game. But the bravery of the players was really impressive.”

Final Thoughts

Andrews described the contrasting ruthlessness of the two teams as the “story of the game”, with United being “pretty clinical” while Brentford “weren’t able to take” enough of their many chances. “We need to be killers in those situations,” he concluded.

By contrast, the Red Devils have a red-hot assassin at the heart of their side, who is also the captain and leader, who also has an indefatigable spirit and work rate, is an inspiration both on and off the pitch, and is on course to etch his name into English football history.

In short, United have the Player of the Year in their No.10 position. No one else comes close.

Featured image Naomi Baker via Getty Images

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