Manchester United fans have been championing the name of Bruno Fernandes after Premier League season statistics based on the number of chances created were released.
The Portugal midfielder has come in for criticism during the club’s turbulent campaign. Many others feel his quality has been stifled by the presence of countryman Cristiano Ronaldo.
Fernandes bagged 28 goals and 17 assists last season, but has only netted ten goals and provided 14 assists this time around. The 27-year-old hasn’t been shy in expressing his on-field frustrations either, adding to the disgruntlement felt towards him from some of the Old Trafford faithful.
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However, new stats from Opta depict that Fernandes has still managed to make significant contributions to the team. In fact, he has been the most creative player in the Premier League this season.
He has created more than 70 open-play chances and over 30 'secondary chances' this term. Secondary chances refers to when a player has made a pass to a teammate who has then created a scoring opportunity.
Overall, he contributed to 109 chances in 3,028 minutes. It’s seven more than Martin Odegaard of Arsenal, who is in second. Manchester City ’s Bernardo Silva (99 chances), Kevin De Bruyne (92), Jack Grealish (83) and Joao Cancelo (74) all score beneath Fernandes in the top 10.
Some United fans on Twitter have praised Fernandes for his work this season in response to Opta’s stats.
However, others were not as convinced, inferring that the stats do not line up with his on-pitch displays this season.
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