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Bruno Fernandes is close to breaking the Premier League assist record with 19 assists this season. Paul Scholes praised Fernandes, who has been a key player for Manchester United since joining in 2020.
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Bruno Fernandes: Scholes issues major claim about United ace
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has spoken highly of current skipper Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese maestro is on the threshold of history, having registered 19 assists in the Premier League this season.
With three games remaining, Fernandes now has the chance to equal or even break the league record of 20 assists, which belongs to Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. The 31 year old has been outstanding since arriving at Old Trafford from Sporting in January 2020.
Fernandes has won the EFL Cup and the FA Cup during his time with the Red Devils so far, registering 106 goals and 107 assists in 324 appearances to date. The Portuguese has already won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award four times, and given his form this campaign, is likely to pick up his fifth award this year.
Fernandes is perhaps the only player who has maintained his standards at United despite a series of managerial upheavals. Brought to the Theatre of Dreams by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Portuguese soon became a household name, and famously registered 28 goals and 17 assists in 58 games in the 2020/21 campaign.
Fernandes maintained his high standards under the Norwegianās temporary replacement Ralf Rangnick and his successor, Erik ten Hag. The Dutch manager handed him the armband in the summer of 2023, although the Portuguese had been leading the front since his first day at the club.
Bruno Fernandes has 19 assists in the Premier League this season.
The Premier League record for most assists is held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, with 20 assists each.
Bruno Fernandes has won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award four times during his time at Manchester United.
Bruno Fernandes has registered 106 goals and 107 assists in 324 appearances for Manchester United.
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The arrival of Ruben Amorim saw Fernandes face a new challenge, especially after he was deployed in a midfield pivot alongside Casemiro during the first half of this season. However, Unitedās captain fantastic managed to dictate terms from a deeper role as well.
Amorimās 3-4-3 system, though, was abandoned at the turn of this year, when he lost his job. Darren Fletcher was put in interim charge, before Michael Carrick arrived as caretaker manager and reinstated Fernandes in the No. 10 role.
The Portuguese has been at the peak of his creative powers under the Englishman, having also briefly played under him after Solskjaerās departure in 2021. Former United midfielder Scholes believes that one of the reasons for Fernandesā resurgence under Carrick is because he is operating in a position that gets the best out of him.
Source: Transfermarkt.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes insisted that everything good about United goes through Fernandes. He said: āHeās a different level from anything United have got. Everything United do good is through him.ā
āWhether heās a centre midfielder or the No 10. Like, I think heās a No 10 all day long. As we talk about [Martin] Odegaard, Odegaard should be that type of player for Arsenal and he isnāt doing it.ā
The legendary midfielder went on to argue that United have needed two players like Fernandes in the team for a while, one in midfield and one in the No. 10 position. He said: āI think United over the last couple of years have probably needed ātwo Brunosā.ā
āOne to be that midfield player to get them playing football and one to be the No 10 to do the rest of it. But that assist record is just ridiculous.ā
Fernandes will enter the final year of his contract this summer, but has already suggested that he wants to continue his association with United. The Portuguese magicianās renewal should be one of the Red Devilsā priorities this year, and they must also recruit a midfielder this summer who can replicate his passing ability.
Featured image by Michael Regan/Getty Images
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