Since joining Manchester United in 2020, Bruno Fernandes has never come close to lifting the Premier League or Champions League trophy. He did secure a couple of domestic cups under Erik ten Hag, and if United finish third this season, that would be their best league position achieved only once during his tenure at Old Trafford. Yet for a player widely regarded as the club’s finest signing since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013—and one who many argue deserves a place among United’s Premier League greats—this represents a modest haul.
On Friday, Fernandes was named the Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year. However, the Portuguese midfielder is not one to chase individual accolades. Speaking to the media in October, he said: “I don’t see it that one player is better than another because he wins more trophies. Not every time the best player in the world is the one that wins the Ballon d’Or. I want to win trophies. I want to be recognised for the good things I did for the club, for bringing something back, not just my individual numbers.”
United may not win a trophy this season, but Fernandes still has significant milestones ahead. He needs just one more assist to match the single-season Premier League record of 20, jointly held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and former Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne. Fernandes leads the league’s assist chart this term, eight clear of Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen third on 10. This record clearly matters to Fernandes, who will be a key figure for Portugal at this summer’s World Cup. So much so that a United teammate told him he would have taken a shot himself against Brentford recently, rather than set up striker Benjamin Sesko. Fernandes dismissed that idea.
Fernandes is also the favourite to win the prestigious PFA Players’ Player of the Year award—an honour both Henry and De Bruyne won twice. Despite the lack of major silverware, would the assist record and another player of the year award cement his status as one of the Premier League’s most creative forces?
Assists don’t always guarantee prizes. The “assist king” is often seen as a creator, but reality is more nuanced. Over the past five seasons, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has led the assist chart twice, while strikers Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) and Harry Kane (then of Tottenham) did so once each. None of them are considered pure creators like playmaker De Bruyne, who topped the list four times. A better comparison for Fernandes in terms of trophies might be Cesc Fabregas during his Arsenal days. In that seven-year stint as a regular first-team player before leaving in 2011, the Spaniard had the most assists in two seasons. His biggest domestic prize during that period was the FA Cup; it wasn’t until he returned to England with Chelsea, after a stint at Barcelona, that Fabregas won the Premier League. Similarly, Southampton’s Matt Le Tissier and Liverpool’s Steve McManaman both led the assist chart in the Premier League’s early years without winning a league title. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard topped the assists in 2013-14, won the PFA Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA equivalent in 2009. While he inspired Liverpool to a remarkable Champions League victory in 2005, Gerrard never won the league, yet no one questions his status as a Premier League great.
