Michael Carrick believes Bruno Fernandes should be in contention for the Premier League player of the year award after the Manchester United captain registered his 19th assist of the season in a 2-1 victory over Brentford. The win puts United on the verge of Champions League qualification.
Assist Record in Sight
Fernandes is now just one shy of the Premier League single-season assist record of 20, jointly held by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry. He set up Benjamin Sesko for United's second goal after earlier seeing his corner headed back across goal by Harry Maguire for Casemiro to score the opener.
With four league games remaining, United need only two points to secure a return to Europe's top competition.
Carrick's Praise for Fernandes
When asked if Fernandes deserves individual recognition, Carrick said: "Hopefully he does. He deserves it for the impact he has had and the moments he’s created, whether it’s creating or scoring or having other influence within the group. He’s had a big season."
Casemiro's Farewell
Casemiro was named player of the match and was serenaded by fans urging him to reverse his decision to leave the club this summer. However, Carrick confirmed the Brazilian's departure is set, four years after joining from Real Madrid.
Carrick stated: "It’s pretty clear, from both sides. Cas has had an influence within the group, he has got huge experience, he’s a big player and has achieved a huge amount in the game, and he has given everything you can possibly give. The situation has probably helped that, knowing there is nothing to hide. It’s football, players come and go. You’ve got to evolve and move on. That’s the world we’re in, and it’s nice he’s got that connection with the supporters."
Brentford's Frustration
Brentford came to Old Trafford with an ambitious game plan and could have caused more problems had Igor Thiago not missed first-half chances and Dango Outtara hit the post after the break. United's second goal came from a Brentford attack broken up by Amad Diallo, with Fernandes leading the counter. Mathias Jensen's late curling strike came too late for the visitors.
Defeat leaves Brentford ninth, two points off sixth in a congested battle for Europa League football. Manager Keith Andrews said: "I was really happy with how we performed overall. United started the game better than we did, they were dangerous from corner kicks and got the lead from that. I felt after that we calmed down a little bit, we started to take control of the ball a bit better, got to grips with the game, the occasion, and the opposition better and then I thought we were in a good place. We needed to control transitions better especially in the first half. The second goal was really disappointing, the timing and where we were in the game. But the overall performance of the players, the bravery of the players, was really impressive."
