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Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has launched a defence of his record against the ‘Big Six’ and urged his critics to sway from always focusing on the stats.
Fernandes has been a standout performer for United this season, totting up 15 goals and ten assists in United’s 27 Premier League games.
He has been sensational ever since his £56million switch from Sporting Lisbon last January, having been involved in 40 goals in 41 games, scoring 23 times, while adding a further 17 assists.
However, he has come under criticism for scoring just one goal [a penalty] and recording zero assists in seven league games against the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ this season.
Ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby, Fernandes dismissed the criticism he has received for his performances against Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.
“I don’t know what people mean by ‘top six’, because the teams are in top six in the table, I score and assist against some of them.” the Portuguese told Sky Sports. “I scored this season against Tottenham. But some people say penalties don’t count!
“I know people expect Bruno to score or assist in every game because when I arrived, I was playing really well. If you see my stats, everyone is thinking that Bruno has to score in every game, Bruno has to assist in every game.
“And I want to do that – it’s the most important thing. But as a player, I don’t look for the big six or the rest of the league. I look for every game in the same way. And I think the league is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. So you don’t have to score or win against the ‘Big Six’ – you have to score and win against everyone.
“I see people talking about Bruno not doing so well against the ‘Big Six’. People have said Bruno gives the ball away too many times when we lose a game.
“Also, in the game against Istanbul Basaksehir, I scored two goals and I lost more balls than their team, but people said I was the best player in the game. So, what is the point?
“But I agree the last two games, I didn’t play very well. And I don’t need to see the stats to see if I play well or not. I know when I play well or not.
He added: “I saw an interview from Luke (Shaw) saying, ‘people now care more about stats than the performance’. And this is the truth. Because now they’re expecting from me just goals and assists, and not performances.
“They don’t care about the performance of Bruno, they don’t care about ball recovery or how many chances I create, because I can create ten chances but if I don’t score, people will say Bruno didn’t play very well.
“But this is football. Football is in the moment. Some people have said I’m playing bad, and that I have to do better. And I agree, because we always can do better. But for me, it’s OK. I can have that pressure on my back.
“I’m sure in some moments, I will score, I will assist, and I will perform. And that will help my team-mates to win the game.”
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