Former England manager Sam Allardyce has now dropped huge praise on Bruno Fernandes for one visible change that he has spotted in the Manchester United captain.
Bruno Fernandes made a real impact for the Red Devils at the weekend after he picked up two assists in Manchester United’s comeback 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring for the Eagles in the first half of the Premier League clash before United fought back in the second half at Selhurst Park.
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Fernandes floated the ball into the Palace box from a free-kick inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half and Joshua Zirkzee latched onto the ball.
Joshua Zirkzee then squeezed a superb strike past Dean Henderson to cancel out Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opener and pulled United level against Palace on Sunday.
Fernandes picked up his second assist only nine minutes after Zirkzee’s equaliser, with the United captain rolling the ball into the path of Mason Mount from a free-kick.
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Bruno Fernandes after the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United at Selhurst Park in London, England.
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Sam Allardyce is blown away by what Bruno Fernandes has done at Man Utd after the Crystal Palace match
Bruno Fernandes’ two assists at the weekend moved the Manchester United captain up the ladder in the Red Devils’ all-time leading assist-makers in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old Portugal international has 56 assists to his name in the Premier League now, putting him ahead of fifth-place Paul Scholes on 55 assists.
Fourth-place Fernandes is only bettered by Sir David Beckham (80), Wayne Rooney (93) and Ryan Giggs (162) for United’s most assists in the Premier League era.
Do you agree with the United In Focus writer predictions for Man Utd vs West Ham? Let us know yours in the comments!🔥⚽️
Dan Coombs: “2-1 to United, a win, but we won’t keep a clean sheet.👹”
Dale O’Donnell: “3-1 to United, Mbeumo on the scoresheet for a convincing win.⚽️”
Sean Fisher: “2-0 to United, surprisingly comfortable win with a set-piece goal.🔥”
Vatsal Gupta: “3-1 win, brilliance on Cunha’s return sends United to victory.🇧🇷”
Adnan Riaz: “3-0 win, A David de Gea-esque Lammens masterclass to hand United a dominant win.🧤”
Jonny Maze: “4-2 win, expecting goals on both sides, but United should be able to score more.💥”
Matheus Cunha warming up against Tottenham
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Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Sam Allardyce was in awe at how Fernandes has managed to eclipse United legend Paul Scholes for assists.
The 71-year-old former West Ham manager asked: “What? He has more assists than Paul Scholes? How many years has he been there? Six? Seven?
“Scholes was there from the beginning, wasn’t he? Twelve to thirteen years in the first team. That’s incredible, he’s one of the best midfield players ever.”
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Sam Allardyce praises Bruno Fernandes for one Man Utd improvement amid the Paul Scholes discourse
Allardyce insisted that Fernandes is not comparable to Premier League icon Paul Scholes, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of all time.
However, the former Crystal Palace and West Ham manager admitted that Portugal and United midfielder Fernandes is no longer playing up his theatrics as captain.
Records are there to be broken – but not this week 👀
Manchester United are unbeaten in the last 17 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League home games (W14 D3), winning the last eight in a row!
What is the key to keeping it going?
Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, celebrates
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“Fernandes is brilliant, but he’s not a Paul Scholes,” Allardyce said.
“He’s not waving his arms around as much as well, I have to say, as a captain, it is important not to show those reactions, so it looks like he’s matured a bit.”
Fernandes has netted twice and has five assists to his name in 14 matches across all competitions for United in the 2025-26 campaign under manager Ruben Amorim.
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