Manchester United are a better side when Bruno Fernandes is playing. That has been obvious since his arrival at the club in 2020.
Rarely though, has Bruno Fernandes‘ importance been underlined as much as it has done lately.
Fernandes missed his first Manchester United games through injury, much to his frustration, four years after he signed, and the team managed only four shots on target across 180 minutes – losing both matches.
Since returning to the team, Manchester United have won both games, with 12 shots on target.
Having Fernandes available to create chances is a big help – in the Premier League there really is nobody better.
Bruno Fernandes top chances created numbers, again
Bruno Fernandes has completed another season for Manchester United, helping the team finish with a2-0 win over Brighton.
Across the 2023/24 season, no player has created more goalscoring chances than Bruno Fernandes.
Below are the top five players for key passes, including a player United sold after Fernandes pushed him out of the side, Andreas Pereira.
- Bruno Fernandes: 114
- Pascal Gross: 103
- Martin Odegaard: 102
- Bukayo Saka: 91
- Andreas Pereira: 84
Fernandes has rather disappointingly ended the season on just eight assists, from those chances, which is another discussion entirely, with Manchester United in need of more forwards, and a more settled and functioning team to get the best out of the club’s talismanic captain.
- READ MORE: Manchester United Player Wages 2023/24
First player to top chances created back to back since 2014
2023/24 is the second year in a row Bruno Fernandes has finished the campaign as the player who has created the most chances in the Premier League.
Last season he created slightly more, 119, which he probably would have beaten this season if he had not missed the two recent matches due to injury.
By achieving this feat, he becomes the first Premier League player in nine years to create the most chances in successive seasons.
The player to do was Eden Hazard, who managed to do so in 2013/14 and 2014/15 for Chelsea.
Hazard is a player who Fernandes admires, with the Portugal international paying tribute when the Belgian announced his retirement last year.
“Thanks for all the good moments you gave to the world of football” Fernandes wrote on his Instagram story.
He continued, “All the real fans of this beautiful sport enjoyed watching you”, followed by a clapping emoji.
Fernandes is focusing on the FA Cup final, and then Euro 2024. And when that’s done, his attention will turn to going one better than Hazard, when Manchester United begin preparing for 2024/25.
He has a chance to end next season creating the most chances for a third successive season. You wouldn’t bet against it, especially if Manchester United can get their act together.