The goals may have dried up a little for Bruno Fernandes lately, but don’t be fooled into thinking the Portuguese star is not contributing.
His stepover dummy set up Mason Greenwood’s goal in the win over Burnley, an action he deserved an assist for.
In the win over Tottenham it was his nutmeg which led to Greenwood putting in the cross for Edinson Cavani’s headed goal.
Fernandes is United’s top goalscorer and top assist provider. But that is just scratching the surface of his impact.
Data from FBRef shows Fernandes is the number one player in the Premier League in seven statistical categories.
Bruno leads the Premier League in the following seven statistical categories
- Expected Assists (10.5 per game) Kevin de Bruyne follows on 9.1
- Key Passes (88) Mason Mount follows on 81. Luke Shaw is on 66.
- Passes into the penalty area (90) Trent Alexander-Arnold follows on 86.
- Through balls (19) Fernandes is joint top with De Bruyne.
- Shot creating actions (156) Mount is second with 143.
- Goal creating actions (26) This leads Harry Kane who is on 22.
- Penalties scored (8). The nearest is Jamie Vardy with six.
Most of the categories relate to Fernandes’ passing. His incisive passing can be measured in various ways and can go unrewarded if his teammates miss the chances.
Fernandes’ quality is not limited to the above. He sits inside the Premier League top 10 in the following 12 categories.
He ranks inside the top 10 in the following categories
- Goals (16) Fernandes ranks third overall
- Goals per 90 (0.51) Fernandes ranks ninth
- Assists (11) Fernandes ranks joint second
- Assists per 90 (0.35) Fernandes ranks fifth
- Goals and assists combined (27) Fernandes ranks second
- Goals and assists combined per 90 (0.86) Fernandes ranks third
- Expected Goals (13.8) Fernandes ranks fifth overall
- Total shots (95) Fernandes ranks third
- Shots on target (35) Fernandes ranks sixth
- Passes into final third (163) Fernandes ranks ninth
- Progressive passes (211) Fernandes ranks third.
- Pressures (644) Fernandes is second overall.
Perhaps the most intriguing statistic of all of the above is the ‘pressures’ category.
Fernandes is key to United’s style of play, with the way he closes down opponents from the front.
Only one player in the league ranks higher, Tottenham’s Pierre Hojbjerg, and he is positioned in a more defensive role.
Fernandes is one of the league’s top contenders for the Premier League player of the year awards.
Don’t let his sudden lapse in goals and assists fool you, this is a player who is performing at a consistently high level, as the top in the division, whichever way you look at it.
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