Man Utd midfielder Bruno Fernandes is enjoying a wonderful season, leading the assist chart in the Premier League.
Fernandes is United's most important player.(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Leaving Turf Moor last month, Bruno Fernandes joked he couldn't speak to journalists because he "makes too many headlines". Fernandes is splashed on the back pages for the right reasons.
Manchester United's captain is enjoying another wonderful season. Fernandes has recorded the most assists in the Premier League this season (12) and has created more chances than any player in Europe's top five leagues.
The 31-year-old did not record a goal involvement against West Ham, ending a run of five successive games in which he'd contributed a goal or an assist, but he celebrated Benjamin Sesko's late equaliser as if it was his own, frantically waving his arms as he screamed 'YES!' at the away end.
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Fernandes politely denied a request to speak as he departed the London Stadium, and he laughed as he was reminded of his "too many headlines" quip. United have been incredibly fortunate to have such a world-class talent give the prime years of his career to the club during a period in which they've never come close to winning the Premier League title.
Fernandes has produced the goods consistently since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020, and he is rightly regarded as the standout signing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The midfielder has made 315 appearances for United, scored 104 goals, contributed 99 assists and won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year four times. Fernandes has single-handedly won games for United. He is a leader in the dressing room. He makes time to pass on advice to academy prospects.
After the 2-0 win against Tottenham, Fernandes pulled over in his car as he left Old Trafford to sign autographs for young fans. The look on their faces was priceless.
Fernandes has been worth every penny of the £68m (he was signed for an initial £46.6m) that United paid six years ago. There have even been times during his stint in Manchester when punters and pundits have suggested that he's been the best player in the Premier League.
This season feels like another in which that argument could be made. Fernandes has been in exceptional form and has genuine claims to be regarded as the Premier League's finest player.
Fernandes applauds fans after beating Spurs.(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
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There are many different strands to the argument of who is the Premier League's best player, but it makes sense to assess players using the usual criteria: goals, assists and decisive moments in games.
Fernandes has six goals in the top flight this term. One of those goals included holding his nerve to convert from the spot in the seventh minute of added time against Burnley in August, making no mistakes under immense pressure after missing a penalty against Fulham the previous weekend.
The Portugal international opened the scoring against Chelsea in September and made it 3-3 against Bournemouth in December. Last month, Fernandes' goal against Tottenham to extend the advantage was crucial, as Spurs had a chance to salvage a point with 10 men as long as the score was 1-0.
The rate at which Fernandes continues to create chances is what truly sets him apart, though. He has consistently been among the top creative players in Europe's top five leagues since he arrived at United, and he sits five assists ahead of Rayan Cherki, who has the second most in the Premier League.
Starting from the win against Liverpool at Anfield in October, Fernandes has assisted in 10 of the 16 Premier League games he's played in since, so it's no wonder he is chasing the assist record.
Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry are the joint record holders for most assists (20 each) in a Premier League campaign, meaning Fernandes is just eight shy of joining them.
Fernandes has already broken his personal assist record for a Premier League season, surpassing the 11 assists he contributed in 2020/21, which was his first full campaign at United.
Fernandes has plenty of reasons to smile this season.(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Erling Haaland, Declan Rice, Gabriel, Igor Thiago, Antonie Semenyo and Hugo Ekitike could also make solid claims to be regarded as 'the best in the Premier League' at this moment in time. Haaland has scored the most goals in the league (22) but he has slowed down after a freakish start to the campaign.
"I haven't scored enough goals since the start of this year, you can say, and I know that I need to improve. I know I need to be sharper, better at all of this," Haaland told reporters recently.
Thiago has been impressive for Brentford, a team that lost its most creative players in the summer transfer window. He must be marked up for scoring 17 for a club outside the 'big six'.
Rice and Gabriel Magalhães have been excellent but their respective campaigns will likely be looked at in a very different light should Arsenal throw away their lead in the title race.
Semenyo has made a seamless transition from Bournemouth to Manchester City, scoring five goals in his first seven games.
Ekitike has looked every inch a future superstar since joining Liverpool in the summer, but his 10 goals in the Premier League make it difficult to say he's the best in the division when he's 12 behind Haaland.
Fernandes has a very decent claim to be regarded as the Premier League's best player this season. United have perhaps not had a player in that position since David de Gea kept 18 clean sheets in a world-class 2017/18 campaign.
Fernandes is contracted in Manchester until the summer of 2027, but there is an option for another year. United must do everything they can to safeguard his future. A player of his quality is irreplaceable.
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