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.

David Benavidez could be about to have his future resolved after being called out for the fight he is craving.

Benavidez affirmed his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world earlier this month when he successfully stepped up to cruiserweight and stopped Gilberto Ramirez inside six rounds to win the WBA and WBO titles at 200lbs.

There have been plenty of different options floated for ‘The Mexican Monster’ since that victory, including another clash at cruiserweight against Jai Opetaia, and even an ambitious move to heavyweight to face unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.

The most likely scenario is a return to 175lbs where he holds the WBC title, in order to have an undisputed battle with WBA, WBO and IBF light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, with Benavidez himself stating that the Russian is number one on his hit list.

That fight may now be set to become a reality, after a post by the IBA revealed that Bivol’s trainer Gennadi Mashyanov wants his man to face Benavidez in order to ‘shut his mouth.’

“My personal goal right now is this guy Benavidez – who let’s just say, talks a lot. We’ll see what he’s really made of. I’d like him to stop running his mouth. For that to happen, someone has to get in the ring with him and shut it for good.”

Bivol returns to action later next week when he faces mandatory challenger Michael Eifert, and it seems a win there could now pave the way for an undisputed showdown against Benavidez.

Just two games to go before the Chennai Super Kings’ league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 concludes, but MS Dhoni hasn’t played a single match. ‘Thala’ has reportedly been nursing a calf injury since the start of the new season. However, with Chennai playing their final home game of the campaign against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, fans are keeping their fingers crossed to see Dhoni in action one last time before he potentially announces his retirement from the T20 league.

The occasion also fits perfectly with an announcement Dhoni himself made five years ago. During CSK’s IPL title celebrations in Chennai in 2021, Dhoni said he was hopeful of playing his final T20 game in Chennai. Five years later, CSK are scheduled to take on SRH at Chepauk.

“I have always planned my cricket. The last game I played was in Ranchi. The last home game in ODI was at my hometown in Ranchi. So, hopefully, my last T20 will be in Chennai. Whether it’s next year or in five years’ time, we don’t really know,” Dhoni had said, dropping hint about a potential retirement timeline 5 years ago. 

The five-year timeline ends tonight as Chennai and Sunrisers square off at Chepauk. In fact, there is no match scheduled to be held in Chennai after this fixture. Hence, there is a strong belief that tonight could be the final time the Chepauk crowd sees Dhoni in action at CSK’s home venue.

Why MS Dhoni Could Return Against SRH

MS Dhoni’s long-term international teammate, Ravichandran Ashwin, said that there is a “good chance” the wicketkeeper-batsman will play against SRH. In fact, Ashwin mentioned that Dhoni has been fit and ready to play for CSK over the last two to three games.

“I have a feeling that against Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is a good chance of MS Dhoni playing. Let’s wait and see how it goes. As far as I have heard, he has been ready to take the field for the last two to three games,” Ashwin said.

While the CSK camp has continued to deny that Dhoni is available for selection, there is a theory that the 44-year-old has been keeping himself on the sidelines to allow the management to prepare the team for the future. Some believe that Dhoni’s return could disrupt the CSK team combination.

But, with the team playing its final game at Chepauk for this season, it looks like fans might get the final glimpse at the Indian cricket icon, in what could be his farewell match in the IPL.

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