Manchester United vs Man City: Has Bruno Fernandes surpassed Kevin De Bruyne this year?
Bruno Fernandes has rejuvenated Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side
Goals
Fernandes also has the edge over De Bruyne in terms of goals scored since his arrival in the Premier League. The 26-year-old has hit the back of the net 19 times in the league, with nine coming from the penalty spot. Only Salah (23) has scored more goals. De Bruyne has scored just nine in total, with four of his strikes coming from penalties.
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United’s talisman has netted 15 times in all competitions for his club so far this season, while the Belgian has just three goals to his name.
Assists
De Bruyne is the king of assists in the Premier League in the last year, but he only just pips his rival to that accolade. City’s playmaker has set up 16 goals for his team-mates – two more than Fernandes. The only other player in the Premier League to hit double figures for assists since January 1, 2020 is Tottenham’s Harry Kane (11).
The 29-year-old De Bruyne has eight assists so far this season while Fernandes has seven. They are second and third in the rankings, respectively, behind Kane (11).
Kevin De Bruyne has eight assists so far this season
Influence since Fernandes joined United?
Last season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side had a 37.5 per cent win rate without Fernandes in the team – which increased to 64.3 per cent with him in the starting XI. United simply score more goals, concede fewer and collect more points with the Portuguese playmaker in the heart of midfield.
However, the same can be said of De Bruyne’s impact. The Belgian has been left out of the starting line-up eight times in the Premier League over the past two seasons and City’s win rate plummeted in those games – down from 70 per cent with him to 37.5 per cent without.
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