Bruno Fernandes has broken the Premier League single-season assist record after setting up a goal in Manchester United’s final day clash against Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
The Portuguese midfielder’s corner kick led to Patrick Dorgu scoring the opening goal, giving Fernandes his 21st league assist of the 2025-26 campaign at Brighton’s ground.
That tally moves Fernandes past the previous benchmark of 20 assists, a record that had stood for two decades before recently being matched by another Premier League great.
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry first set the record of 20 assists in a single Premier League season, a mark that lasted 20 years before Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne equalled it.
Fernandes has now gone one step further, standing alone at the top of that particular statistical category ahead of some of the greatest creative players in Premier League history.
The 31-year-old has transformed into a primary playmaker this season, with his assist total representing the defining individual achievement of his campaign at Old Trafford.
His scoring output has been comparatively modest, with eight goals sitting below his own high standards after previously recording 28 goals across an entire season during his Manchester United career.
This season also marks the first time Fernandes has failed to reach double figures in goals since joining Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon, making his assist record all the more notable.
Despite the lower goal tally, Fernandes claimed the Premier League Player of the Season award for his contributions during the 2025-26 campaign throughout the year.
The source material notes that some observers have questioned whether the award should instead have gone to a player involved in Arsenal’s title-winning season rather than Fernandes.
United’s ability to retain Fernandes beyond this summer has been flagged as a significant priority, given the scale of his individual contribution across the entire league campaign.
With 21 assists to his name, Fernandes has written his name into Premier League history on the final day of a remarkable personal season for the veteran midfielder.
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