The 2025/2026 Premier League season is set to kick-off on Friday August 15, 2025,
However, Manchester United supporters will have to wait until Sunday, August 17 to watch their favourite club begin their season campaign at Old Trafford against North London’s Arsenal.
Until then, we look forward to predict and preview a future prediction that Manchester United supporters and bettors alike can get excited about.
Bruno Fernandes 10+ Assists Odds:
- American: -125
- Decimal: 1.80
- Fractional: 4/5
More Options in Attack
Much like several other Premier League clubs this transfer window, Manchester United have turned to the market in an effort to strengthen their attack, securing the signings of Matheus Cunha from Wolves, Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, and Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig. The arrivals of Cunha and Mbeumo bring valuable Premier League experience and will aim to play a key role in United’s push to return to the European spots in the 2025/26 season. The addition of Benjamin Šeško aims to fill the void at Manchester United’s striker position with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee falling short of the mark last season.
Under Rúben Amorim, Manchester United are expected to line up similarly to last season, sticking with his signature 3-4-2-1 formation and with his new additions added in.
With the additions of two proven Premier League forwards in Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, and the signing of Benjamin Šeško, Manchester United will be hoping for a significant boost in attacking output this season. The expectation is that a more clinical front line will translate into more goals.
Can Bruno Keep the Assists Flowing?
At the heart of United’s creative engine remains Bruno Fernandes, who has consistently pulled the strings in United’s midfield since his arrival at Old Trafford. Fernandes’ goal contributions over the past few Premier League seasons looks as such:
- 2022/2023: 8 Goals, 8 Assists – 16 G+A (37 Matches Played)
- 2023/2024: 10 Goals, 8 Assists – 18 G+A (35 Matches Played)
- 2024/2025: 8 Goals, 10 Assists – 18 G+A (36 Matches Played)
Bruno Fernandes successfully hit the 10+ assists landmark last season in a heavily struggling Manchester United squad. With more attacking options and more well-rounded forward players, I believe that Bruno Fernandes will be able to reach that landmark once again in the 2025/2026 season.
What the Stats Say
Bruno Fernandes will remain the pivotal link between Manchester United’s defensive unit and their attacking players, orchestrating play through the middle of the park. This is clearly reflected in his high volume of Progressive Passes Received and Progressive Passes per 90 minutes, underscoring his role as the team’s primary playmaker.
The chart below (provided by fbref) illustrates Bruno Fernandes’ per 90 statistics over the past 365 days across all competitions, benchmarked against midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues:
As the graphic clearly demonstrates, Bruno Fernandes is one of the most complete attacking midfielders in world football. He ranks in the 97th percentile for assists, the 99th percentile for expected assists (xAG), the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions, the 98th percentile for progressive passes, and the 91st percentile for progressive passes received per 90 minutes. These elite-level stats alone make a strong case for backing Bruno to deliver 10+ assists in the upcoming season, regardless of who leads the line for Manchester United.
New Faces in Attack
Fortunately, United’s attacking options are promising, with the previously mentioned front three of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Šeško expected to spearhead the offense. This well-rounded attacking lineup only strengthens Fernandes’ chances to rack up assists in 2025/26.
In the 2024/2025 Premier League season;
- Hojlund netted 4 goals for Manchester United
- Zirkzee netted 3 goals for Manchester United
- Cunha netted 15 goals for Wolves
- Mbeumo netted 20 goals for Brentford
In the 2024/2025 Bundesliga season;
- Šeško netted 13 goals for RB Leipzig
Given these numbers, it’s reasonable to expect Manchester United’s overall goal tally to improve significantly in the upcoming campaign. Last season, United ranked 16th in the league for goals scored, managing just 44 goals in total. With the reinforcements up front and a creative playmaker like Bruno Fernandes supplying chances, an uptick in goals seems likely.
For those who haven’t yet connected the dots, Bruno Fernandes assisted 10 of Manchester United’s 44 goals last season—an impressive 22.73% of their Premier League goals came directly from his creativity. Taking it further, if we exclude all penalty goals and opposition own goals (OGs), Manchester United scored 38 non-penalty, non-own goals. This means Fernandes was responsible for assisting 26.32% of United’s “assistable” goals.
The Pick:
While I don’t necessarily expect Bruno to maintain this extraordinary percentage next season – especially with proven players like Cunha and Mbeumo now sharing the creative load – this statistic underlines his vital role within the squad. Given Manchester United’s revamped attacking options fitting into Rúben Amorim’s system, it’s reasonable to believe Fernandes will once again reach the 10+ assists landmark in the 2025/26 season.
Pick: Bruno Fernandes to record 10+ assists in the 2025/2026 season
