Bruno Fernandes has matched the Premier League record for most assists in a single season after registering his 20th assist during Manchester United’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The milestone moment came in the 76th minute when Fernandes delivered a dangerous ball across the penalty area that was converted by Bryan Mbeumo. The assist brought the United captain level with the long-standing Premier League benchmark.

Level With Premier League Greats

Fernandes now shares the single-season assist record with Thierry Henry, who achieved the feat for Arsenal during the 2002-03 season, and Kevin De Bruyne, who matched it for Manchester City in 2019-20.

The Portuguese midfielder had opportunities to move clear of the record late in the match, but Manchester United were denied by the woodwork and some desperate defending from Forest.

Interestingly, set-pieces have played a major role in Fernandes’ assist tally this season. Half of his 20 assists have come from dead-ball situations, unlike Henry and De Bruyne, who produced most of their assists from open play.

Speaking after the game, Fernandes admitted he was aware of the significance of the record but insisted the team result mattered more.

The 31-year-old joked that his teammates were eager to score from his passes once they realised he was close to history. He also admitted there were moments during the game when he perhaps should have passed rather than attempted shots himself.

A Remarkable Season For Fernandes

The assist record is another major achievement in what has been an outstanding campaign individually for Fernandes. Earlier this season, he was named Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association, narrowly beating Declan Rice to the award.

Fernandes secured 45 percent of the media vote and became the first Manchester United player since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to receive the honour.

With one league game remaining against Brighton & Hove Albion, Fernandes still has the chance to break the all-time Premier League assist record outright.

It’s the time of year to be predicting which players are going to rise to stardom in 2026. Pro Football Focus put out their All-Breakout team for 2026, and there was room in their ranks for one Viking. 

The man to get the shout-out from PFF is outside linebacker Dallas Turner. Way back in January, PFF already singled out Turner as the most likely breakout candidate in Minnesota this year.

Why PFF Believes Turner Is Ready for More Responsibility

They doubled down on their prediction by naming this all-breakout team, which considers all 32 teams across the league.

Following the exit of Jonathan Greenard, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Turner’s situation has improved greatly, as have his chances of a breakout season. With Andrew Van Ginkel more of a “do it all” type of player, Turner is well-positioned to be the Vikings’ number one pass rusher. Of course, he must make the most of this opportunity.

Turner Makes PFF’s All-Breakout Team

PFF is looking for young names who are looking to establish themselves in the league and are formerly unproven talents that can make a leap to stardom this year. They believe Turner fits the bill, and that makes sense. He showed improvement over his rookie year and now has a clear path to a starting role and plenty of opportunities to be on the field. Here is what PFF said about their selection of Turner.

Turner’s first two seasons with the Vikings haven’t seen him become an outward star. That could look different in 2026.

The former 17th overall pick finished with 65.5 and 64.1 overall PFF grades in 2025 and 2024, respectively. But last year was a step in the right direction, as Turner accrued a 70.2 PFF pass-rush grade with 42 pressures and a 12.0% pass-rush win rate.

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With Jonathan Greenard now on the Eagles, Turner has a clear runway to both meaningful playing time and improved production for Minnesota.

In terms of stats, Turner had 8 sacks last season, up from 3 in the previous year. His tackles also rose from 20 to 66, tackles for loss from 3 to 11, and passes defended from 3 to 11. Minnesota will be hoping those numbers continue to trend upwards after trading away its star pass rusher.

Both Greenard and Van Ginkel spent time sidelined with injuries last year, which led to Turner getting increased opportunity. He obviously did enough in those moments to convince the decision makers in Minnesota that he can step up and lead the Vikings’ pass rush on the edge.

Selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Turner has always had big expectations on his shoulders. Perhaps it is even more the case in 2026, as the time is now for him to come of age and become the caliber of player expected from a first-round draft pick. Everyone is waiting for him to deliver; it’s now up to him.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

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Virat Kohli celebrates a dismissal during IPL 2026© AFP

Oscar De La Hoya has weighed in on Canelo Alvarez’s clash with Christian Mbilli, questioning the Mexican’s ambition as he inches closer towards retirement.

The 35-year-old has not fought since losing his four world titles to Terence Crawford, whose unanimous decision victory saw him become a three-weight undisputed champion in September.

With Crawford having subsequently retired and vacated all four super-middleweight belts, though, Canelo is now set to face WBC champion Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The pair are scheduled to square off this September, with Alvarez bidding to prove that he remains capable of competing at the top level.

Mbilli, on the other hand, looks to cement himself as the flagship operator at 168lbs after being elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion.

Like Canelo, the Frenchman has not fought since last September, when he boxed to a 10-round draw with unbeaten contender Lester Martinez.

It could therefore be said that Mbilli’s world-class credentials remain somewhat questionable, at least in the eyes of former Canelo promoter De La Hoya.

Speaking with Fight Hub TV, the Golden Boy boss revealed that he does not rate Mbilli as an Alvarez opponent, nor does he see it being a particularly successful event in Riyadh.

“Mbilli, come on. I just don’t like the fight, especially if it’s not going to be here in the US. Again, we have to watch a fight at 9am? I’m just not a fan of that.

“I would’ve loved Canelo to fight here in Vegas in September, with all his fans cheering him on. That’s what fight fans wanna experience – big events.

“Every fighter has his peak and then you start to see the exit coming. [Canelo’s] a few fights away from retirement, so I don’t blame him for taking the money and running. But I do feel that he has a few good fights left in him against great fighters. Not Mbilli.”

With Canelo and De La Hoya rarely seeing eye to eye, it is perhaps unsurprising that the two-time Hall of Famer is not the biggest endorser of his former client’s next fight.