Bruno Fernandes expressed immense pride after joining Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne in the Premier League record books, and now sets his sights on breaking the assist record in Manchester United's final match of the season.
Historic Achievement at Old Trafford
The 31-year-old Manchester United captain became just the third player to provide 20 assists in a single Premier League campaign, following in the footsteps of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry (2002-03) and Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20). Fernandes achieved the milestone by setting up Bryan Mbeumo for a crucial goal in Sunday's 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest, a result that secured third place for the Red Devils.
Speaking on the Old Trafford touchline, a beaming Fernandes said: "Obviously I'm very proud. We're speaking about Thierry and Kevin, two of the main names of the Premier League, and for me I'm very grateful and I'm very happy to do it. It's a very proud moment."
Chasing the Record
Fernandes, who will receive the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award on Tuesday, now has the opportunity to break the record outright in Sunday's season finale at Brighton & Hove Albion. "Let's see," he said. "It doesn't change the way I play my game, so I will still have to create things for my team, and hopefully it can happen. But if it doesn't happen, I'm already very happy because I've never done 20 assists in the Premier League. I've never done 19 either, so even if I had finished with 19, I would be very happy."
Pride Over Relief
Fernandes admitted that pride, rather than relief, was his overriding emotion after being repeatedly frustrated in his attempts to provide an assist against Forest. The captain fell to the deck after Mbeumo blazed over a glorious second-half chance, but the summer signing later converted his cross, scoring his first goal since February. "I'm very happy that I did it today and Bryan ended up scoring a goal also because it was very good for him," Fernandes said. "He's been going through a period where he can't score, and he was probably our main scorer in the beginning of the season, so I'm very happy for him too."
Team Celebration
When Mbeumo converted the cross, Fernandes was mobbed by teammates, including goalkeeper Senne Lammens, as every United outfield player joined in celebrating the record. Fernandes admitted he only started thinking about the record when he collected his 19th assist. "I'm very grateful to see their reaction more than mine because I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal," he added. "I didn't want to make it about myself because at the end of the day scoring the goal is the biggest thing in football and all credit to Bryan because if he doesn't put it in the back of the net, my record will not be there. So these records only come if your team-mates do the things right as you do."
