Bruno Fernandes inherits Kevin De Bruyne’s crown! Man Utd captain billed as ‘best central midfielder in the Premier League’ after another masterclass against Chelsea

Former Bayern Munich and United midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes that Fernandes has officially surpassed Kevin De Bruyne to become the premier creative force in English football. Following the Red Devils' crucial win at Stamford Bridge, Hargreaves suggested that the standards set by the Manchester City legend have now been met and exceeded by the United captain.

”Bruno Fernandes, he will be up for player of the year this season, he just creates big moments,” Hargreaves told TNT Sports. ”He was the architect today, best player on the pitch by a mile and obviously with Cunha finishing up, it feels like Champions League football is coming back to Manchester United. He is the best central midfielder in the Premier League. Kevin de Bruyne was the best for a while but it is Bruno right now. Right now I think he is the best player in the Premier League, it depends, he has had the best performance over the whole season.”

The statistics certainly back up the claim that Fernandes is in a world of his own this season. By setting up the winning goal in London, the midfielder recorded his 18th Premier League assist of the season, moving within touching distance of the joint all-time record held by Thierry Henry and De Bruyne. With five games remaining, the record of 20 assists looks increasingly fragile.

Despite the individual accolades on the horizon, the Portuguese playmaker remains focused on collective improvement. ”I say every time that I want to do better than the season before,” he told TNT Sports. ”I want to improve my game overall. Not assists, not goals but overall, everything - and I need to improve every week because I want to become a better player and end my career as the best as possible.”

United manager Michael Carrick was equally effusive in his praise, though he focused on the collective grit required to withstand 21 Chelsea shots. The victory moved United 10 points clear of the sixth-placed Blues, effectively slamming the door on their rivals' hopes of a top-four finish. Carrick pointed to the psychological strength of his players as the key factor in the narrow win.

”We feel it was deserved. The setbacks we have had the last few days, the centre-back partnership we had – it would be a bit of a challenge, but I felt the defence was immense in difficult circumstances,” the United boss said. "The attitude was top-drawer for me tonight", he added while reflecting on a night where United were forced to defend for long periods.

The victory provides United with some much-needed breathing room as they enter the final stretch of the campaign. Fernandes, who has been instrumental since the departure of Ruben Amorim, acknowledged that the club needed to find a response after a difficult week. The squad now feels the finish line for European qualification is firmly in sight.

”I feel three points closer [to the Champions League], now we have another game we have to win. We know we need points to get that place secured and we are going to be doing everything possible. It s an amazing feeling for us, we had to bounce back ... we had to make a great performance today because Chelsea is a very good side. It was very important for us, our aim is to get close to top four, they are the closest one to top five, it is perfect for us and that is what we need.”

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