Fernandes must be furious with Man Utd’s £37m star

And with that, Manchester United are back to winning ways. In a week where Michael Carrick is close to being given a full-time job, the Red Devils have shown exactly why he has replaced Ruben Amorim.

They weren’t surprised at the back; Nottingham Forest opened them up regularly in the second half, but from an attacking point of view, the performance was on point again. Truth be told, they could get six or seven here.

When Bruno Fernandes went for the Premier League assist record, he added another to his tally but it could and should have been more. Luke Shaw, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all found the net in what looked like a basketball game.

Carrick’s men won 3-2, but that didn’t tell the full story.

How Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest

It wasn’t a perfect showing as Carrick was given the gig temporarily but at this stage of the season, it doesn’t matter.

United have completed their goals by reaching the Champions League places and this marks the last home game of the season.

As they bid farewell to Casemiro, the hosts were a force to be reckoned with in the final third. The Brazilian player did not get a goal but came close in the first half when he put the pressure on the side of the goal.

That was one of many missed opportunities (more on that later) but they found the net three times. Shaw had to wait three years to score but his first game was as a seasoned striker. The left-back took the ball down inside the area and hit a beautiful shot into the corner.

Although it took until the second half for more goals to come in, Forest hit back through Morato. Elliot Anderson, who is reported to be United’s best man, poked the ball in for the defender to head home.

Then came a controversial moment in the game. After two minutes, Mbeumo looked to be holding the ball when Matheus Cunha’s goal was created. The goal was awarded on the pitch but even after the intervention of VAR and a look at the keeper, the referee stuck to his decision.

There was no dispute about Mbeumo’s goal. The Cameroonian arrived just in time to shoot Fernandes’ ball. It was his 20th assist in an impressive individual Premier League campaign.

The goals didn’t end there; Morgan Gibbs-White found the net minutes later but despite the end-of-year drama, United managed to hold on.

That said, there’s no doubt that Fernandes will have some strong words for some of his teammates.

Fernandes is closing in on the assist record

It’s been so funny watching Bruno the past few weeks. As he chases the assist record, he looks like a player who doesn’t care about shooting, let alone scoring. As long as he puts the ball in and around the area, he’s looking to pick on his teammates.

That self-sacrificing nature is why he has now reached 20 assists in the Premier League this season. He joined Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry and now stands alone in breaking the record for most assists in a single top-flight campaign since the Premier League’s inception.

The Portuguese sensation is still one game away from breaking the record, but if his teammates had been more clinical on Sunday, he would be celebrating his honor this weekend.

Mbeumo is one of the biggest victims, and when he grabbed his goal, he missed one chance in the second half after being played by the United captain.

The forward was left facing the goalkeeper but shot high over the post. Fernandes’ reaction was priceless. He fell to the ground, not believing what he saw, and hit the grass in frustration.

That said, Amad was probably as wasteful as Amad. Mbeumo wasted himself a lot but at least he scored. The same cannot be said for the Ivorian, who wasted a good chance after being fed by Bruno.

In the 89th minute, the Portuguese player played the ball to himself and when he broke to the right instead of going to the goal, the midfielder played a really lame ball to Joshua Zirkzee and there was no chance.

Amad was at the center of many other chances and while Fernandes didn’t provide them all, the £37m signing’s waste of good attacking opportunities was shocking.

When Mbeumo and Cunha scored goals, the player from Ivory Coast did not say anything. He is yet to score in 18 games for United. His last goal came before Afcon when he netted in a 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. That means he has yet to find the net at all during Carrick’s tenure.

If Fernandes ultimately fails to break the record, he may be reviling Amad’s name.