It is only seven weeks since Bruno Fernandes stood in the Manchester Opera House and spoke of his pride at being named PFA Player of the Year for 2025-26. The Manchester United captain had already won the Premier League and Football Writers' versions, in recognition of the phenomenal contribution to his side's unexpected third-place finish. Fernandes scored nine goals and claimed 21 assists, breaking a Premier League record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne that had stood for 23 years.
Over the final 11 games of the season, of the 21 goals United scored, Fernandes either found the net himself or created 12 of them. In the seven-game run that swept United back into Europe's elite club competition after a two-year absence, the 31-year-old was a central figure in nine out of 12 goals. Statistically, it was remarkable, reminiscent of Eric Cantona in the 1995-96 title-winning campaign when he scored in six successive games, five of them when United only scored once.
"It was a special season for me," Fernandes told an appreciative audience. "But we don't play tennis. We don't play just for ourselves.
We play for a team, we play for a club, we play for the fans. There is nothing more special than that." Those words have particular resonance now because, compared with those exceptional statistics, there are some far less impressive ones this season. Fernandes has played for every minute of Manchester United's six Premier League games.
He has three goals and one assist, all of which came against Ipswich, the second game of the campaign and, so far, his side's only win. The numbers are actually better than last term, when he scored twice in the opening six games and failed to create any. However, at that point, Fernandes was playing in the deeper midfield role Ruben Amorim preferred.
While this season is Fernandes' second highest for actual shots, at an average of 3.3 per game - his best was 3.5 in 2020-21 - it is his joint-second lowest for shots on target, at an average of 0.8. His chance creation (2.5 per game on average) is also the second lowest of his time at Old Trafford and down significantly on the 4.0 he returned last season. Even more startlingly, he has created just one 'big chance' so far this season, the lofted pass that sent Bryan Mbeumo running clear of the Ipswich defence on 30 August.
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