“Like the best kid in school”: Henry purrs over outstanding performance of United talisman

Manchester United sent a message to the rest of the Premier League with an impressive 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday. Bruno Fernandes show The Portugal international may not have scored, but he was certainly the architect of the victory. Fernandes grabbed two assists to become the United player with the most assists in a Premier League season. He now just needs four more in the eight remaining matches to equal the league record for one campaign. His corner set up Casemiro, and his brilliant first-time ball put Matheus Cunha in, who made no mistake to restore United’s lead. Thierry Henry purrs over performance The current assist record holder, Thierry Henry, purred over the performance during his analysis on Sky Sports. Reflecting on Fernandes’ performance against the Villans, he concluded, “you mention speed — but for me, speed without control is useless. If you can control the speed of your brain, then you’re going to be faster than anyone on the field. That’s what he has in abundance. I’ve said it before — he doesn’t play football, he thinks it. And he did that so well at the weekend.” Henry highlighted the attacking role Fernandes has taken up since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim as manager, and pinpointed an effort he created for Diogo Dalot in the first half as an example of his intelligence in the attacking third. He explained, “when the ball comes inside, look at him against Mings. Normally you might try to make a run — but he knows he won’t beat him with pace. So what does he do? He beats him with his brain. He moves against the run of play. Mings thinks he’s going one way, but Bruno positions himself to receive, turn onto his right foot, and deliver.” Best on the pitch The Arsenal legend then highlighted the creative freedom that Fernandes currently enjoys in Michael Carrick’s system. He explained, “in the second half, he decides: ‘I’ll go and get the ball myself. Like the best kid in school — ‘give me the ball, I want to play forward.’ He moves into different areas, demands the ball, tries combinations, even plays as a nine at times. That’s his mentality.” Referencing his second assist for Cunha, Henry added, “people were amazed by the pass — I was more amazed by what happened before it. At that moment, he looks like he’s not even involved. But he already knows where everyone is.” The former Barcelona winger continued, “why would he run into a situation where he’s physically weaker? Instead, he moves into a position where he can see everything — a three-quarter view of the pitch. Now he has time. Now he can deliver. If you’re Casemiro, you give him the ball — because he’s the best player in that moment. He puts his teammate in the perfect situation to use his strength — running in behind — while he uses his own strength: vision.” Henry also praised his work ethic to track back in the final few minutes in spite of his side leading 3-1. Concluding his analysis on Fernandes, Henry continued to wax lyrical and summarised, “that’s him. He demands excellence — from himself and others. That’s a real leader. And yes — be confident. Be a bit cocky. Why not? What he’s been doing for Manchester United in difficult moments is outstanding. There are records in danger now — he’s on 16 assists and climbing into elite company.” Bruno Fernandes’ stats vs Aston Villa MetricValue Goals0 Expected goals (xG)0.08 Assists2 Expected assists (xA)0.37 Big chances created2 Key passes6 Crosses (accurate)6 (2) Accurate passes44/51 (86%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)34/40 (85%) Passes in own half (acc.)10/11 (91%) Long balls (accurate)2/3 (67%) Total shots3 Shots on target0 Shots blocked2 Touches70 Unsuccessful touches1 Dribbles (successful)1 (1) Possession lost17 Total carrying distance211.7 m Carries15 Progressive carries3 Total progression85.6 m Progressive carrying distance57.1 m Longest progressive carry33.5 m Defensive contributions3 Tackles (won)1 (0) Interceptions1 Clearances1 Blocked shots0 Recoveries6 Ground duels (won)7 (2) Fouls1 Dribbled past0 Source: Sofascore Featured image Lewis Storey via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.