Manchester United have had their fair share of troubles with getting more players into the right mood to rely on them across the entire season. But among all of them, two were actually at the highest level possible and were the greatest reason why Man United won the League Cup and finished in third place in the Premier League. One of them, clearly, is Marcus Rashford with his 30 goals in all competitions. But the other one is, clearly again, Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese was often Man United’s captain throughout this season, most notably when Harry Maguire was not on the pitch. But more importantly, his performances were captain-like, as he managed a ‘double-double’, as the NBA fans would say. In 59 appearances across four competitions, Fernandes scored 14 goals and added 15 assists, making him one of United’s most important performers, if not the crucial part of Erik Ten Hag’s side.
Bruno went eight-and-eight in terms of goals and assists in 37 Premier League appearances. He added three goals in the FA Cup, two in the League Cup and one in the Europa League. In those three cup competitions, he had the remaining seven assists as well. While playing 5,165 minutes during this season, which is an incredible feat in itself, the Portuguese playmaker managed to be crucial for United’s performances throughout the gruelling campaign.
Looking at his statistical profile at FBREF, we can conclude some things to which the eye-test would get us as well. With 0,47 expected assists per 90 minutes, he was in the 99th percentile in the top five European leagues – meaning there was no other attacking midfielder/winger with such output. In terms of shot-creating actions, of which he was making 6,05 per 90 minutes, he was in the 97th profile. That is how United fans think of him anyway – a prolific, elite chance creator. His 7.04 progressive passes per 90 are enough for him being in the top 95 per cent, showing just how vital he has been for United’s attacking output.
He was not that often on the of that attacking output, as he was making 0.22 non-penalty expected goals per 90 minutes, which is around the halfway mark among players in his position. But this season has seen another shift in Bruno’s role – he was often moved around from his favourite number 10 role. He would sometimes play on the right wing to accomodate other players, but he also played a few matches in the central midfield role with Marcel Sabitzer advancing forward, which could have skewed his final results a little bit.
Fernandes’ output has been considerable even in defensive actions, ranking in him in 95th percentile in terms of clearances, 80th in terms of tackles and 73rd in terms of interceptions. His tireless style of play without the ball could only be more obvious if United were to improve in applying the high press next season, possibly with the introduction of players like Mason Mount. But the point with Bruno Fernandes is that statistical analysis is not so necessary to realise his importance for this Man United squad. It can be easily seen by anyone and hopefully something similar will be the case next season as well.