Fernandes eager to surpass Henry & De Bruyne after equalling assist record

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has admitted his pride after equalling the all-time Premier League record for the most assists in a single season. The Portuguese playmaker notched his 20th assist of the season during Sunday's victory over Nottingham Forest, equalling the mark jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, but has also admitted he is eager to claim the record outright when United wrap up their campaign at Brighton.

Drawing level with Henry and De Bruyne

The recently crowned FWA Footballer of the Year achieved the historic milestone when he set up Bryan Mbeumo during United's 3-2 win against Forest. By reaching 20 assists, Fernandes has matched the legendary tallies of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, who previously shared the record alone. After failing to register a goal contribution in his previous two outings, the midfielder confessed that the pursuit of the record had been on his mind.

“I'm very proud,” Fernandes said following the match. “We're speaking about Thierry and Kevin, two of the main names of the Premier League, and for me I’m very grateful and I'm very happy to do it. It's a very proud moment.”

Manchester United v Nottingham Forest - Premier League

One final push for history against Brighton

With one game remaining in the Premier League season against Brighton next Sunday, Fernandes has the opportunity to move to 21 assists and hold the record outright. While he is keen to make more history, the United midfielder is already satisfied with his incredible output this term, having shattered his previous personal bests in the English top flight. He heads into the final day looking to cement his status as the league's ultimate creator.

“Hopefully it can happen,” Fernandes said regarding the possibility of a 21st assist. “But if it doesn't happen, I'm already very happy because I've never done 20 assists in the Premier League. I've never done 19 either, so even if I had finished with 19, I would be very happy.”

The mental battle for the record

Fernandes admitted that as the milestone approached, it became difficult to ignore the statistics, though he insisted it did not change his approach on the pitch. While his team-mates had missed several opportunities he created earlier in the Forest game, Mbeumo's clinical finish finally secured the 20th assist. The 29-year-old expressed a sense of accomplishment rather than pure relief at finally getting over the line.

“I wouldn't say relieved, but very happy, very proud. Obviously, everyone knows it was something that, when you start getting close to that, you start thinking a lot. A good thing is that it doesn't change the way I play because I'm there to serve my team-mates, try to make them score goals,” the Portugal international explained.

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Giving credit to the finishers

Despite the individual accolades, Fernandes was quick to praise his team-mates for their role in his success. He highlighted that without the quality of the finishing from players like Mbeumo, the record would remain out of reach. For the United skipper, the collective success of the team and the goals themselves remain more important than the personal statistics that follow.

“I'm very grateful to see their reaction more than mine because I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal. I didn't want to make it about myself because at the end of the day scoring the goal is the biggest thing in football,” Fernandes added. “And all credit to Bryan because if he doesn't put it on the back of the net, my record will not be there. So these records only come if your team-mates do the things right as you do.”