Bruno Fernandes will aim to surpass Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s 20 assists record in the Premier League with eight games remaining.
The Manchester United captain has scored 16 goals in the league this season and is five assists away from making history in the competition and four assists away from equalizing.
The Premier League’s most prolific creator has the chance to chip away at that gap when United travel to Bournemouth on Friday Night Football, live on Sky Sports.
Bournemouth have conceded just one goal in their last four games, going over 250 minutes without conceding, but Fernandes will take advantage of his chances with his current form.
Debate has already been sparked as to how Fernandez accumulated his record and, if he equals or exceeds it, how it compares to the current record holder.
Here, we will delve into the number of issues and the main points of contention.
Had Fernandes ever been this close?
No, this is Fernandes’ highest assist total in a single Premier League season.
Indeed, Fernandes broke the club’s record for assists in a Premier League season when he scored United’s brace against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Portuguese equaled David Beckham’s record of 15 and even surpassed it.
United legend Eric Cantona joined Old Trafford from Leeds United in the middle of the 1992-93 season, where he provided 16 assists.
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Bruno Fernandes has broken Manchester United’s David Beckham’s record for most assists in a season, but which midfielder has achieved it the most?
When will Fernandes be able to break the record?
Fernandes is expected to at least equal the Premier League record based on his season-long figures, adding an additional 4.9 points at 0.61 points per 90.
However, nine of his assists have come in the last 10 games, coinciding with Ruben Amorim’s sacking and Fernandes returning to his preferred No. 10 position.
If he can maintain this rate of 0.93 assists per 90 points, he will break at least three records.
Bruno Fernandes’ assists up to match day compared to record holders Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne
However, there are some cautionary tales about Fernandes, including Mesut Ozil and Mohamed Salah.
The former Arsenal playmaker recorded 16 assists in 18 games in 2015-16, just one short of his record, while Salah had 18 assists with six games remaining last season, but failed to match his record.
Remarkably, Fernandes had not registered an assist this season until October 19, when he set up Harry Maguire’s late winner against Liverpool.
Set piece vs. open play debate
The Monday Night Football graphic, which shows a breakdown of open-play assists and set-piece assists, has fueled the debate surrounding Fernandes and whether he really counts in the same category as Henry and De Bruyne.
Fernandes has seven assists from open play, but this pales in comparison to Henry’s 18 and De Bruyne’s 17.
In fact, Fernandes doesn’t even have the most open play assists in the Premier League this season. Man City’s Rayan Cherki led by one with eight hits, while Erling Haaland tied the score with seven.
Breakdown of players Bruno Fernandes has assisted this season
Purists may want to suggest that Fernandes’ record, even if it matches or exceeds 20 points, is not worthy of comparison to the current holders.
Arsenal fans guarding Henry’s record could find themselves in an awkward position if Fernandes’ potential output diminishes based on his reliance on set-pieces. For United, the opposite is true. Walk carefully.
With nine goals, Fernandes is also close to Steven Gerrard’s record for most assists from set pieces in a single season (11 goals), set in 2013/14.
Did Fernandes benefit from an easier schedule?
United played just 40 games this season, their lowest since the 1914-15 season, when they played 39 games, as they were eliminated from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup on their first try.
This allowed Fernandes to take a long break before racking up assists in the Premier League.
He has only been able to play in 37 games for United this season, the most he has played in all competitions, as they lost to Grimsby in League Two in the Carabao Cup and lost to Brighton in the third round of the FA Cup.
By comparison, Henry made 55 appearances for Arsenal in the 2002/03 season, but Arsenal missed out on a Premier League appearance to United and won the FA Cup. They were eliminated in the third round of the League Cup, but played 12 Champions League games with two group stage matches.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne played 48 games for City, who finished second behind Liverpool in the title race and won the Carabao Cup. Josep Guardiola’s side were eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League and advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals.
Fernandes’ defense
Clearly, there are some mitigating factors that suggest Fernandes’ achievements may not be as impressive as Henry or De Bruyne’s, even if he were to reach 20.
However, there is little debate about his credentials as one of the Premier League’s greatest creators.
Taking assists out of the discussion for a moment, Fernandes is better than most when it comes to creating chances.
Declan Rice ranks second in the Premier League in terms of chances created this season, 40 behind Fernandes.
Standing in front of a graph showing the chances created by Premier League players and those created from open play, Sky Sports presenter Dave Jones neatly summed it up:
“We have some extraordinary players here… and Bruno Fernandes.”
The importance of Fernandes’ assists for United this season should also be considered.
The United captain has already scored the most points (18) from an assist by a player in a Premier League season. Neither Henry nor De Bruyne are in the top eight.
Let’s see how Fernandes fares in the final eight games of the season before deciding which direction to go.
Friday 20th March: Bournemouth (a) – 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
Monday 13th April: Leeds (h) – 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
Saturday 18th April: Chelsea (a) – 8pm kick-off
Monday 27th April: Brentford (h) – 8pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports
Saturday 2nd May: Liverpool (h) – 3pm kick-off
Saturday 9th May: Sunderland (a) – 3pm kick-off
Sunday 17th May: Nottingham Forest (h) – 3pm kick-off
Sunday 24th May: Brighton (a) – 4pm kick-off
Friday, March 20th 7:30pm
Kickoff at 8pm
Watch Bournemouth vs Manchester United live on Sky Sports on Friday Night Football. Kickoff at 8pm.
