Manchester United have a rich history of world-class players but that reserve dried up after the managerial retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
A combination of academy prospects failing to fulfil their promise and a string of disastrous transfer decisions by the hierarchy dragged the club’s standards to their lowest point in decades.
Despite all the dark times, one player who has consistently risen above the chaos is current club captain Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese maestro has been United’s best signing over the last decade.
Only three players have ever collected the revered Sir Matt Busby Player of the Season award four times.
Fernandes is one of them.
He is the pulse of this squad, and without his brilliance, United might genuinely have found themselves battling relegation last season.
The phenomenal midfielder has now given another reason why he deserves legendary status at this club.
Fernandes bagged two assists in yesterday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Those contributions lifted him into fourth place on Manchester United’s all-time Premier League assists chart.
With 56 assists (and counting), he has now surpassed the iconic Paul Scholes, who registered 55 in his illustrious career.
Only Ryan Giggs (162), Wayne Rooney (93), and David Beckham (88) sit ahead of him.
These numbers were accumulated when United used to dominate the league and score goals for fun.
Critics often target his defensive lapses or moments of risky possession, but when you wear a United shirt, scrutiny arrives from every angle.
Unfortunately, much of that criticism is driven by agendas rather than reality.
Fernandes has already etched his name firmly into United’s history books, and when the day eventually comes for him to leave, he will depart with an unquestionable legendary status.
When that moment arrives, the loss will be felt far more by the Red Devils than by Bruno Fernandes himself.