Bruno Fernandes moved onto 60 goals for Man United after scoring twice in the 3-1 win over Fulham.
Having scored twice in Manchester United’s victory over Fulham in the FA Cup, Bruno Fernandes has moved past Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez in the Reds’ scoring charts.
Erik ten Hag’s side secured a 3-1 win over their Premier League rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday – progressing to the semi-finals of the competition, where they will face Brighton at Wembley. Fernandes grabbed a brace in the triumph, converting from the penalty spot and then smashing home from close range in injury time.
The 28-year-old midfielder has been vital to the Reds this campaign, with the Portuguese ace playing more minutes than any other outfield player in Europe’s top five leagues. With club captain Harry Maguire having fallen down the pecking order under Ten Hag, Fernandes has skippered the side for the majority of the season.
Fernandes has registered 10 goals and 12 assists in 44 appearances this term. His two strikes on Sunday took him to 60 goals for the club since he arrived from Sporting in January 2020, which have come in 170 games. Given that he has also managed 51 assists for the Reds, his goal ratio of 0.35 per game is impressive, especially for a midfielder.
He is United’s 19th-highest scorer of all time, and will be keen to move past Dwight Yorke in the charts in the coming months. The former frontman bagged 66 goals during his career at Old Trafford – just six more than Fernandes.
Only Marcus Rashford (120) and Anthony Martial (85) in the current United squad have scored more goals for the club than Fernandes, while the 28-year-old’s brace at the weekend saw him move past fans’ favourites Van Persie and Hernandez in the list. The Dutch frontman registered 58 goals in 105 appearances and helped United win the Premier League after joining from Arsenal.
Hernandez, meanwhile, managed 59 goals in 157 games. Despite often being utilised as a super-pub, the Mexican still played a part in the club winning two Premier League titles while he was at Old Trafford.
In December 2020, Fernandes set himself the ambitious target of registering more goal contributions than matches in the Premier League that season. While the Portuguese ace wasn’t able to achieve that – and will certainly not manage it this term – he has been able to hit a different target.
“I think, as I’ve said before, it’s easy when you play in a team like Manchester because there are so many good players around you,” Fernandes said. “They help you to be better and I am here to help them be better. So I think, of course, numbers are really good but it is now that I need to start to improve.
“It will be more difficult from now and I mean difficult day-by-day and game-by-game because the players will know me better. Of course, I am really happy to have these numbers and, obviously, it is not easy to get to this point with these numbers but I want to do better and better, more and more. I want to finish the Premier League this season with more goals and assists than games. That would be good.”
Fernandes wanted ‘more and more’ – and he has definitely achieved that. In the past three seasons – including the current campaign – the midfielder has recorded 91 goal contributions. Not only has he been effective in front of goal, he has also provided countless assists for his teammates.
While he has played more matches for the Reds than both Van Persie and Hernandez, the fact he has moved past the two strikers shows how efficient he has been for the club. Fernandes will certainly have one eye on leapfrogging the likes of Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
