It’s the fourth month of the NextGoalWinner Premier League Player of the Month award, and this month is the first time that the award is being retained, and staying in Manchester with the Portuguese midfield revelation who is dragging the side to 3 points every single week… Bruno Fernandes.

Bruno has had a mixed month this December, as Manchester United have gone unbeaten in their 6 league games and 1 cup match, however they have been knocked out of Europe after 2 tough defeats at the hands of PSG and RB Leipzig. Despite this up and down month, and the packed schedule, Fernandes has been fairly consistent in his brilliance, scoring 4 and assisting 4 in his 9 games this month.

So, as always, let us hopefully explain well enough why we have chosen Bruno as this months winner, and let us know over on Twitter (@NextGoalWinBlog) if you agree or disagree and any debate you have over our choice.

The Stats

In December, Bruno Fernandes averaged a game of football every 3.4 days, including a trip away to Leipzig along with travelling up and down England for 5 of the 9 away games. This stat shows just simply his determination to be involved in every game possible, as Bruno will fight strongly to ensure he stays on the pitch and is involved in every team selection. He is a born leader, and not only encourages and pushes everyone around him, but also takes matters into his own hands, and his 8 goal contributions from the 9 games have certainly done just that, with the goal involvements bringing the 3 points against Wolves and earning the point against Leicester.

In the month, he averaged a WhoScored? rating of 7.5/10 which is a stunning statistic in the middle of this packed season to be putting in this average every single week. Should this continue, he will cement a legacy at Old Trafford and possibly put the club back in contention for silverware on a consistent basis.

Match By Match

December 2nd: Manchester United 1-3 PSG – Of all the games to kick-start a packed month of football, a decisive matchup against PSG is probably not the easiest way to do so. The return fixture after the fantastic win in Paris, saw the French side get their revenge on United, as they won comfortably in this one. Bruno played the full 90, however he wasn’t particularly involved and often played out of the game, managing just a 6.32/10 rating, having 2 shots and 69 touches. It wasn’t United’s day, and this left European qualification from the group stages massively in doubt.

December 5th: West Ham United 1-3 Manchester United – In the league, Bruno kept ploughing on with his tremendous campaign, as he picked up an assist in this victory over Moyes’ side. Playing just the second half, and being 1-0 down, Bruno sparked United into life as he made 8 key passes and allowed for the comeback which took all 3 points.

December 8th: RB Leipzig 3-2 Manchester United – Away to Leipzig was a complete turnaround from the first matchup between the sides, as Leipzig meant business in this one. Going 3-0 up, there was little United could do to salvage anything from this one, however the determination of Fernandes showed as he strived to get something from the fixture, bagging a goal in the 80th minute from the spot and pressing on in the closing stages. In this one, he earnt a 8.26/10 rating and bagged the first of 4 goals in the month, however the result sealed United’s exit from the competition after such a promising start, it was a fall in the second half of group games.

December 12th: Manchester United 0-0 Manchester City – In possibly the most drab 90 minutes of football this season, both Manchester sides nullified each others attacks and left the game with a goalless snooze-fest. Bruno was involved in this one but couldn’t really do much as United sat back often to allow City to pressure and hoping for counter’s. Instead, he made 4 shots (2 on target), however wasn’t really testing Ederson in goal and like the other 21 players around him, played in the most mediocre of derby days.

December 17th: Sheffield United 2-3 Manchester United – From one extreme to another in this one, as the 2 United sides played out this 5 goal matchup, and shockingly Bruno Fernandes wasn’t involved in any. After going 1-0 down in the opening minutes, Manchester United quickly resolved the deficit and put the game out of reach despite and almost comeback final stages. Bruno was decent in this one, although only playing 80 minutes, he achieved a 6.74/10 for his role in the game. No goals or assists, however a good result despite making it harder than it should have been.

December 20th: Manchester United 6-2 Leeds United – Millions of football fans had been waiting for the return of Leeds United to the top-flight, and the big matchup against Manchester United. However, no one could have imagined this result, as the reds got off to a flier in the opening minutes with a McTominay masterclass. Bagging 2 of the 6 and assisting another, Bruno Fernandes ran the show and made sure that a memorable result was cemented. It was his star performance of the month, earning a 9.13/10 and being a real impressive match for the Portuguese midfielder.

December 23rd: Everton 0-2 Manchester United – In the Carabao Cup matchup, United faced tricky opposition in the form of Ancelotti’s Everton. They put in a good performance against a tough side and played well on the eve of Christmas celebrations. Although Bruno wasn’t involved in the goals, he was still a key player, hitting the woodwork and having 4 shots as United piled on pressure. A good result and built up a successful run of games for United.

December 26th: Leicester City 2-2 Manchester United – Bruno was a key performer in this tough matchup against Leicester, as he bagged a goal and an assist in this tough fixture at the top of the table. In this game, he also managed to earn his first and only star man award, as he made a 8.07/10 performance. A solid result and a great game for Bruno and his side.

December 29th: Manchester United 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers – In the final fixture of the month, United left it as late as they possibly could in this fixture, as they bagged a winner with the games final kick. It was a fantastic assist from Bruno which enabled Rashford to bag the winner and sealed off an unbeaten league run in December and kept United in a strong position going into the new year. A great result, another top performance and a solid month for Bruno and the United side.