Football writer Adrian Clarke analyses whether Bruno Fernandes can match or surpass Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne for the most Premier League assists in a single season.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is in form and on song, producing 12 assists in his last 14 appearances - including two against Fulham on Sunday - to leap in front in the race for the Premier League's Coca-Cola Golden Playmaker award in 2025/26.
So, can the Portuguese star make history this season?
Fernandes is on fire
The Man Utd midfielder had to wait until 19 October to lay on his first assist of the campaign, guiding a superb volley onto the head of Harry Maguire for the winning goal in a 2-1 success at Liverpool.
That moment came from a recycled corner, and until recent weeks it had been set plays which proved most fruitful for Fernandes.
His first five assists all stemmed from dead-ball situations, with Casemiro (twice), Matthijs de Ligt, Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee the grateful beneficiaries.
However, Fernandes has recently been sensational in open play. For example, in Ruben Amorim’s final away victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the captain clipped an inch-perfect ball into the box for Mount to convert (below).
That delicate weight of pass was also on show against Burnley, when Darren Fletcher took charge of a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor.
On that occasion, Benjamin Sesko despatched an angled strike, from a slide-rule pass by Fernandes (below).
His most eye-catching assist of 2025/26 arrived in Michael Carrick’s first match at the helm, carrying the ball 40 yards before teeing up Bryan Mbeumo to seal a 2-0 win on the counter against Manchester City (below).
When you add in the intricate give and goes around Arsenal’s midfield in the lead-up to Patrick Dorgu’s spectacular strike on Matchweek 23, it is clear Fernandes is right on top of his game.
That was certainly in evidence against Fulham in Matchweek 24, when Man Utd's captain whipped in a superb free-kick to assist Casemiro's header, before supplying a low cross to set up Sesko's dramatic late winner.
Watch: The best of Fernandes at Man Utd
Can playing higher up the pitch help Bruno break the assists record?
If you include the FA Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion, Fernandes has assisted in ALL five of the matches he has featured in since Amorim’s departure.
Fletcher, and now Carrick, have both preferred to use the 31-year-old as a central No 10 (rather than as part of a midfield pairing) and the early signs suggest he will revel in his return to that advanced position.
As shown in the examples above, getting him on the ball inside the final third is the key to unlocking Fernandes’ imagination.
Man Utd's skipper is likely to make the difference in many more games, with his technical brilliance and very sound decision-making.
If his set pieces remain on point too, there is an outside chance Fernandes can eclipse the record 20 Premier League assists delivered one season by Thierry Henry (2002/03) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20).
If we take Fernandes' last 14 appearances - where he has averaged 0.86 assists per game - as a guide, and apply that to the final 14 fixtures, he will in theory reach 24 assists.
It is a tall order to stay that prolific over another lengthy spell, but if he continues to play as a No 10, Fernandes is sure to create plenty of chances.
Fernandes on course to be Man Utd's first Coca-Coca Golden Playmaker winner
Sat five assists ahead of his closest challenger, Man City's Rayan Cherki, Fernandes could become the first Man Utd star to land the Coca-Cola Golden Playmaker prize.
Since the award debuted in 2017/18, we have only had five different winners, with De Bruyne (three) and Mohamed Salah (two) claiming it on multiple occasions.
Interestingly, De Bruyne is the only midfielder to ever claim the award, with forwards and wingers more dominant.
It seems it will become a straight shootout between the two Manchester-based players, Fernandes and Cherki, especially with Everton's Jack Grealish (six) and Tottenham Hotspur's Mohammed Kudus (five) both sidelined with injuries in the medium term.
Assist leaders 2025/26
| Player | Assists |
| Fernandes | 12 |
|---|---|
| Cherki | 7 |
| Grealish | 6 |
| Kudus | 5 |
| Xhaka | 5 |
| Rogers | 5 |
| Haaland | 5 |
| Salah | 5 |
Set-piece quality has propelled Fernandes to new levels
Seven assists from dead-ball situations mean that Fernandes is on course to at least challenge Steven Gerrard’s record-breaking 11 set-play assists in 2013/14.
The next best, Chris Brunt (nine, 2014/15) and Matthew le Tissier (eight, 1994/95) are certainly within reach for the Portugal international.
Far-post corners have been his friend this season, with these two excellent deliveries helping Casemiro and De Ligt net against Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur respectively:
Despite consistently making stacks of chances since he joined the club in January 2020, this is already Fernandes’ joint-highest assist tally in a single season.
He is now just one away from beating his own highest total, with 14 matches left to play.
Fernandes' assist stats and rank per season
| Season | Assists | Rank | Set-piece assists |
| 2020/21 | 12 | =2nd | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 6 | =20th | 0 |
| 2022/23 | 8 | =9th | 0 |
| 2023/24 | 8 | =20th | 2 |
| 2024/25 | 10 | =4th | 3 |
| 2025/26 | 12 | 1st | 7 |
Scroll horizontally to see full table on mobile devices
The away-day influencer
One of the more impressive stats from Fernandes’ season so far is that the majority of his Premier League assists - eight of the 12 - have been registered away from Old Trafford.
If he assists four more goals in Man Utd's remaining seven away matches, Fernandes will set a new record of 12 away assists in one season.
Most away assists in single Premier League season
| Player | Season | Total |
| Fabregas | 2014/15 | 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Salah | 2024/25 | 11 |
| Izzet | 2003/04 | 10 |
What's next for Fernandes and Man Utd?
If Fernandes can take his away form into Man Utd's home matches during the next four months, then he may well come close to matching or breaking Henry and De Bruyne’s assists record.
As for Man Utd, after back-to-back wins against the top two, Arsenal and Man City, along with Sunday's thrilling victory over Fulham, the feel-good factor has certainly returned under Carrick.
If Fernandes can maintain his current level of creativity, a top-four finish is certainly not beyond Man Utd.
In terms of trophies, Carrick’s side are out of the running, but as an individual, Fernandes has to be considered red-hot favourite to land the Coca-Cola Golden Playmaker award.