Bruno Fernandes: Danny Murphy makes bold claim about United maestro | OneFootball

Bruno Fernandes was key to Manchester United’s 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 7 February. The Portuguese Magnifico has been outstanding this season, despite operating in a deeper role under former head coach Ruben Amorim until he picked up an injury at the end of last year.

The Portuguese head coach lost his job at the start of last month, with the Premier League giants appointing Michael Carrick as his temporary replacement until the summer. The Englishman has enjoyed a stunning start to his caretaker reign, winning all four games in charge.

The Red Devils have picked up three points against Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Spurs, and are now the league’s in-form team. Central to their recent resurgence has been a marauding Fernandes operating in his favoured No. 10 position.

Premier League’s most creative player

Fernandes has been United’s talisman ever since arriving at Old Trafford in January 2020 from Sporting. The Portuguese midfielder stood out under every manager at United and was also a rare shining light in a disappointing 2024/25 campaign.

Although the Red Devils struggled last season and finished 15th in the league, Fernandes still registered 19 goals and 19 assists in 57 games in all competitions. This season, the 31 year old is leading the Premier League assist charts, having set up 12 goals.

Bruno Fernandes Stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

Despite operating in a deeper role for much of the season, the Portuguese is still ahead of his peers. According to The Athletic, Fernandes has created the most chances (74) in the Premier League this season, miles ahead of Declan Rice (47) in second.

23 of those chances were created in the last five games, following the departure of Amorim, when he has been reinstated in his favoured No. 10 position. On Saturday, the Portuguese maestro registered 200 goal contributions for United in 314 appearances, the second-fastest to that milestone in the Premier League era after Wayne Rooney, who reached it in 295 games.

The United skipper’s stellar form at the moment has now prompted special praise from former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy.

Europe’s finest

Speaking on Match of the Day, as cited by Metro, Murphy hailed Fernandes as the best No. 10 in Europe. He said: “Bruno got his goal with a wonderful finish and topped off a brilliant performance, considering he actually had one of his poorer performances last week.”

“I did the game against Fulham and he wasn’t at his best. But at the moment, he’s arguably the best No. 10 in Europe.”

Fernandes’ contract expires in less than 18 months, although United have the option of an additional year. His future has been subject to speculation for a while, although recent reports suggest that the player remains focused on the Red Devils at the moment.

Final Thoughts

Fernandes will turn 32 at the beginning of next season, but has shown no signs of slowing down. United, as such, must do everything possible to keep him at Old Trafford as they prepare for a fresh start under a permanent manager this summer.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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