Since the departure of Ruben Amorim as Manchester United head coach, Bruno Fernandes has arguably been the most in-form player in the Premier League. In every game since the Portuguese coach's departure, Bruno Fernandes has registered at least one assist, making it six assists in five games.
It brings Bruno to a total of 12 assists in 21 games in the Premier League season. After this mid-season onslaught of assists, Bruno has jumped clear at the top of the Premier League assist ranking. It also draws him closer to one of the most unshakeable records in Premier League history.
Could Bruno Fernandes break the all-time Premier League assist record?
Let's break down the potential numbers. The current record for assists in a single Premier League season is 20, a record shared between Thierry Henry in the 2002-03 season, and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20. Bruno Fernandes is currently at 12, and United currently have 14 games left in the Premier League season.
It means Bruno would have to produce 8 assists in his final 14 matches to match the record, or 9 to surpass it. With the rate that Bruno Fernandes is currently producing, and the role he is now occupying in Michael Carrick's new look United side, Bruno's production has no reason to slow down.
The key to Bruno's tally is his set-pieces. Bruno is United's primary free-kick taker and one of their corner takers, and United have quietly become the best in the league at converting set-pieces, surpassing even Arsenal. Bruno's deliveries are a big part of that, but he's also benefitted from United having several dominant threats at set-pieces, like Harry Maguire, Casemiro, and Matthijs de Ligt.
Bruno is, based on past seasons where players threatened the record, in a good position to break the record. Thierry Henry's recording breaking tally of 20 was massively helped by a barrage of assists at the end of the season, recording 8 in just his last 5 games.
This also shows how difficult the assist is to break. Henry's record breaking year relied on a hot streak at the of the year. Mesut Ozil, for example, managed an incredible 16 assists in the first half of the season, but managed to falter to just 19 by the season's end, recording just 3 assists in 21 games to close out the season.
Assists are a fickle business. By their very nature, they rely on another play to convert the goal and notch up the assist for you. United's forward line are in great form, and Bruno is producing chances are a high clip. He's still first in the league for chances created and big chances created.
United are building momentum, with three victories on the bounce since Michael Carrick took charge. Bruno is a massive benficiary of United's system, and the Premier League's love affair with set-pieces is burning bright right now. These factors give Bruno a good chance to break the record.
But the assist record is so rare because it relies almost entirely on other players. We know Bruno Fernandes will continue producing big chances, but it's up to his teammates to finish them. De Bruyne got his record because he had Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane, and Raheem Sterling to finish his chances. Ozil failed to beat the record because his striker was Olivier Giroud.
Bruno Fernandes will need to keep up his form, but what's as important is his teammates holding up their end of the bargain and scoring goals. Time will tell if that will be the case.