Bruno Fernandes has gone past Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez in the Manchester United scoring charts.
Fernandes scored twice in United’s action-packed 3-1 win over Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon. The Portuguese playmaker tucked away a penalty after Willian handballed to keep out Jadon Sancho’s effort and he added a second with a powerful finish in injury time.
The 28-year-old has been vital to Erik ten Hag’s side this season, playing more minutes than any other outfield player in Europe’s top five leagues. With Harry Maguire often left on the bench, Fernandes has worn the captain’s armband regularly and has contributed 10 goals and 12 assists in 44 appearances this season.
His brace on Sunday took him to 60 goals for the club since he arrived from Sporting in January 2020 for an initial fee of £46.6million. That tally has taken him 170 matches in all competitions, giving him a goal ratio of 0.35 per game, while he has registered 51 assists.
That is an impressive record for a midfielder and compares well to strikers Van Persie and Hernandez. The former managed 58 goals in 105 Red Devils appearances – a ratio of 0.55 – between 2012 and 2015, helping United win the Premier League after joining from Arsenal.
Hernandez got 59 goals in 157 games – a ratio of 0.37 – between 2010 and 2015, with the Mexican developing a reputation as a super-sub. He won two Premier League titles and is still playing for LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer.
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Fernandes is United’s 19th highest scorer of all time. Dwight Yorke is the next player in Fernandes’ sights, with the iconic former United striker only six goals ahead of his tally on 66 goals.
In the United squad, only Marcus Rashford, with 120 goals in 347 appearances, and Anthony Martial, with 85 goals in 283 games, are ahead of Fernandes. Wayne Rooney is way out in front of players past and present, having netted a staggering 253 goals in 559 games for the club.
Despite Fernandes’ goals and getting the win to book a semi-final against Brighton at Wembley, United were far from their best on Sunday. Ten Hag gave an honest assessment of their performance in his post-match press duties.
“In possession, we could have been better,” he said. “Out of possession, we were excellent. We came under pressure, gave away some set pieces and then conceded the goal. David de Gea kept us in the game after we conceded.”
Ten Hag added: “We created great opportunities and at half-time, we should have been up because I can't remember a save from David in the first half.
“And in [the] second half, we came [into] difficulties out of the dressing room. It was tough. We conceded the goal from the set-play and we needed David to survive the game because he had two great saves.”
