Give Bruno Fernandes more credit! Premier League's creator-in-chief is having a superb season - and Man Utd would be mad to let him leave for Saudi Arabia this summer

The last time Bruno Fernandes faced Fulham the whole football world was laughing at him. The Manchester United captain skied his penalty in the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage in August and partly blamed the miss on referee Chris Kavanagh bumping into him. He explained: "As a penalty-taker, you have your own routines. It upset me because the referee didn't apologise."

"That is what triggered me in that moment, but that's not the excuse for missing the penalty," he added. "I had a very bad hit on the ball. I put my foot too under the ball and that's why it ended up going over the bar."

The miss contributed to United failing to win away against Fulham for the first time in 15 years, and Fernandes was widely ridiculed afterwards. "I thought it was embarrassing beyond belief," Craig Burley said on ESPN. "A lot of his career at United has been good but there's been a sideshow as well and that encapsulated it for me."

It wasn't the first time Fernandes had been ridiculed after facing Fulham. Following a surprise win for the Cottagers at Old Trafford, Fulham's official Tiktok account poked fun at the Portuguese for allegedly feigning injury. Fernandes was furious and so was United coach Erik ten Hag as the player had what the Dutchman described as "a serious injury" and played through the pain in his next game.

Fernandes will no doubt be looking to make a statement when United host Fulham on Sunday keen to extend their perfect start under Michael Carrick. And no one is laughing at him now as he is back to his very best, back in the position where he thrives the most and leading United's resurgence.

Premier League's assist king

Since returning from injury and returning to attacking midfield after Ruben Amorim's departure, Fernandes has been in unstoppable form. He has got an assist in each of his last four games while he has 11 goal contributions in his last nine appearances.

His recent surge in productivity has taken him to the top of the Premier League's assist charts with 10, three more than closest challenger Rayan Cherki. He sits third in the chart for total goal contributions on 15, only trailing Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago.

And if his team-mates had been a little more ruthless he would have far more. He has created a league high 64 chances this season, 21 more than nearest challenger Bukayo Saka. The number is all the more impressive given he missed three games over the Christmas period, leaving him with an average of 3.4 chances created per 90 minutes. Only Cherki, on 3.1 per 90 minutes, comes close.

When narrowing the same sets of statistics down to only United players, you realise just how important Fernandes is to the Red Devils. Amad Diallo averages 1.8 chances created per game, with Bryan Mbeumo averaging 1.6. United's next biggest creator of goals is the now injured Patrick Dorgu with three assists to Fernandes' 10. Only Mbeumo has scored more than Fernandes but there is a six-goal gap in their total goal contributions.

'On thin ice'

Fernandes' sensational form comes as a warning to United as the summer approaches and interest in him is bound to ramp up. Last year the player received a succulent offer from Al-Hilal believed to be worth £700,000 ($960k) per week. United would have pocketed up to £100m ($137m) for selling him and Fernandes believed they would have let him leave had it not been for Amorim urging him to stay.

He told Canal 11 in December: "From the club’s side, I felt a bit like, 'if you leave, it’s not so bad for us'. It hurts me a bit. The issue of loyalty isn’t viewed the same way it used to be. I could have left in the last transfer window, I would have earned much more money. I was valued, and what values me most has to be my club, although lately I feel like I’m on thin ice."

United sources insist that they want Fernandes to stay but the episode seems to have affected the player's relationship with the club hierarchy and there has to be concern that more clubs, from Saudi Arabia and beyond, will be interested in signing Fernandes in the summer.

The United captain signed a new contract in August 2024 tying him to the club until 2027, with the option to trigger a one-year extension. At the moment triggering the one-year extension seems a total no-brainer and an option the club should take up as soon as they can.

Last chance to cash in

But that might not be enough to sway the player as he can earn triple his salary by moving to Saudi Arabia, and it has been reported that there is still a strong appetite among Saudi Pro League clubs to sign high-profile players including Fernandes. Indeed, the midfielder seemed to hint that he had not completely discarded heading to the Middle East in the future.

"I can't complain, I'm very well paid, but obviously the difference is huge," he told Canal 11. "That was never what guided me. If one day I have to play in Saudi Arabia, I'll play in Saudi Arabia. My lifestyle will change, my children's lives will be sunny, after six years in Manchester with cold and rain. I'll be playing in a growing league, with recognised players."

It might also not be enough to sway co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as this summer is likely to be the last opportunity for the club to cash in on the captain and the billionaire is still on a mission to reduce United's wage bill and wider costs.

Fernandes would have eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo as United's most expensive sale had he joined Al-Hilal for £100m. The transfer fee is likely to be lower this summer, with Fernandes' contract containing a clause reported to be set at around £57m for non-Premier League clubs.

It's lucky he stayed

Fernandes could also be enticed by a move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid, the two Milan clubs or Juventus or even returning to Sporting, as he said in that Canal 11 interview: "I'd like to experience the Spanish league and fight for major titles in Italy. I've thought about returning to Portugal."

Fernandes' only realistic route to Italy, Spain or Portugal, however, is to see out his contract with United and leave for free. So this summer it is essentially a choice between the riches of the Middle East with the caveat of playing in a far less competitive and popular competition or staying with United.

The Red Devils have not been able to give Fernandes what he craved in terms of competing for the biggest trophies, with him only lifting the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in his six-year stay at Old Trafford. He has only played in the Champions League for three out of seven seasons, being knocked out in the group stage twice and never going beyond the last 16. It was a miracle, really, that he decided to stay with United after the club's worst season in 51 years, finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final.

Carrick has seen his impact

United did at least match Fernandes' ambition in the transfer market and under Carrick there has been a sense that their new-look attack is starting to click, with Fernandes working up a productive understanding with Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting to live up to his billing as a transformational signing.

Fernandes has said that Amorim urging him to stay was a big reason why he rejected the offer from Al-Hilal and when his compatriot was sacked there was speculation that it could be the final straw for him. And yet, while Amorim had the Portuguese connection with Fernandes and a common love for Sporting CP, Carrick has known him for longer. He was one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's assistants when Fernandes joined United from Sporting in January 2020, working him for almost two years including for two weeks as caretaker boss after the Norwegian was sacked.

And unlike Amorim, Carrick knows that Fernandes is most useful further up the pitch where he can make the most of his lock-picking passes or his lethal shooting ability.

"I have seen the impact when he first arrived," Carrick said on Friday. "You could see the passion, how much he wanted to do well. His consistency and level of performances. There is a lot to credit him for. We all want to win things, improve as a team but Bruno has been fantastic. Nothing but good things to say."

Irreplaceable at Old Trafford

Carrick's challenge is to not only ensure Fernandes has Champions League football to look forward to next year. He must also be able to convince the captain that something exciting is building at United and it is worth spending the final years of his prime at Old Trafford rather than in the Middle East. His compatriot, Joao Cancelo, has just returned to Barcelona on loan after growing dissatisfied with life at Al-Hilal, while Ruben Neves expressed interest in leaving too, even though reports suggest he may renew his contract with the current SPL leaders.

To twist his arm and ensure he stays it would be worth United offering Fernandes another contract on improved terms. Replacing him with a player of the category of Cole Palmer would cost around £100m and there is no guarantee that the Chelsea forward, who has repeatedly struggled with injuries this season, would fit in at United. Fernandes knows the club and the team inside out and as he keeps on showing, he is still in his prime.

United are already set for a busy and expensive summer of transfer activity as they look to buy two new midfielders to replace the departing Casemiro and the hugely disappointing Manuel Ugarte. Trying to replace their talisman over the last six years is a problem they can do without, especially in the form he is in right now.