Another day, another influential performance from Manchester United skipper, Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese genius again proving crucial in his side’s 2-2 draw away at Bournemouth on Friday night.
Despite having spent much of the campaign deployed in an ill-suited, deep-lying midfield role, the 31-year-old is arguably enjoying his finest individual season yet at United, having looked particularly talismanic again under Michael Carrick’s watch.
While there was to be no assist for the man hunting down Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, the former Sporting CP star did open the scoring from the penalty spot at the Vitality, prior to supplying the corner which led to James Hill’s unfortunate own goal.
Now up to 16 assists and eight goals in the Premier League alone in 2025/26, Fernandes is ageing like a fine wine. Is this the very best he’s ever been?
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Another Player of the Year gong at United appears an inevitability, with Fernandes also firmly in the equation to be named the division’s best player too, even with Arsenal on course for the title.
In an era of at times dour top-flight football, watching the United captain in action is like a breath of fresh air, with that willingness to keep creating – as seen in his possession lost record of 26 times on Friday – so at odds with the often safe and steady approach dictated by managers.
Of course, such creative quality is nothing new, with Fernandes starting like a house on fire following his arrival from Lisbon back in January 2020, having set the tone with a Man of the Match display on debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That first 18 months or so is somewhat tainted by the amount of football that was played without supporters, however, while despite remaining influential under Erik ten Hag, his numbers did dip across 2022/23 and 2023/24.
Even last term, which ended with a stellar 38 goals and assists across all competitions, Fernandes didn’t actually score at all until Ten Hag’s dismissal in the October, with the debate subsequently raging over whether he was the answer in Ruben Amorim’s midfield duo.
|
Fernandes’ PL record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals (Assists) |
|
25/26 |
28 |
8 (16) |
|
24/25 |
36 |
8 (10) |
|
23/24 |
35 |
10 (8) |
|
22/23 |
37 |
8 (8) |
|
21/22 |
36 |
10 (6) |
|
20/21 |
37 |
18 (12) |
|
19/20 |
14 |
8 (7) |
|
Total |
223 |
70 (67) |
As for 2025/26, particularly this calendar year, he has demonstrated the control he showed under Ten Hag, yet with the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer-style statistics to match, ensuring this must be considered the most complete version United fans have seen of Fernandes to date.
Thankfully too, unlike last term, the skipper no longer has to do it all himself, as was evident on the south coast.
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It was of course Fernandes who was involved in both goals as ten-man United hung on for a point on Friday evening, with a mad-cap second-half spell turning what had largely been something of a controlled performance from the visitors on its head.
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Indeed, it had been a particularly dominant first half from the away side, with Fernandes’ opener just reward for that display, following clever work from Matheus Cunha inside the area.
The contact might have been minimal, yet as he did against Crystal Palace not too long ago, Cunha helped get United underway by earning a penalty, having developed that Fernandes-esque knack for winning or buying a foul in the final third.
At a time when Fernandes’ long-term future is somewhat in doubt, with just over a year left on his contract, the Brazilian very much appears the in-house successor, having stepped up to the mark time and again this season.
There’s that relentless, talismanic quality to his performances – as Bournemouth’s Alex Jimenez will be all too aware – in a similar vein to his captain, with Cunha having shaken off a quiet start to his United career to emerge as a real leader in this side.
That has been evident since Carrick took charge, in particular, with the 26-year-old enjoying so many decisive moments in 2026 to date, starting with his assist for Patrick Dorgu against Manchester City, as well as his late thunderbolt away at Arsenal.
A man for the big stage, Cunha mirrors Fernandes in having that knack for the spectacular, as has been seen with his finishes like the one from the angle against Fulham.
As for Friday’s outing, despite starting off the left, the former Wolves man was here, there and everywhere, evoking memories of a certain Wayne Rooney with his powerful, all-action display.
Like ‘Wazza’, Cunha is comfortable operating all across the frontline, not categorised as a striker, a winger or a number ten, instead a perfect combination of them all.
He’ll do a job for the team wherever he’s deployed, much like Rooney in his pomp, yet has that devastating end quality to match, having now scored six times and registered three assists since the start of December.
He’s a star in his own right but a team player too, akin to Rooney under Sir Alex Ferguson’s watch, capable of starting attacks just as much as he is at finishing them, like with his exquisite lofted pass away at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Fernandes is the star of the current crop, as Cristiano Ronaldo was back in the day, but he can’t do it alone. Thanks to United’s latest number 10 sensation, he doesn’t have to.
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Manchester United fell to a draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League in contentious circumstances.