Manchester United enjoyed a fine season in 2025/26, finishing up in third place and claiming a spot in next season’s Champions League competition.

The Red Devils finished 14 points off top, but also 14 points above sixth-placed Bournemouth, showing their quality, with captain Bruno Fernandes leading the way with his performances in a record-breaking campaign in which he registered 21 assists in the Premier League, more than anyone else in the history of the division.

But the record-breaking assist for the Portugal international, which came on the final day in the 3-0 win over Brighton, was shrouded in controversy, with some calling for it to be recorded as an own goal after Patrick Dorgu’s header rebounded off the crossbar and hit the hand of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen before going in.

The Premier League have since confirmed that the record will stand, after the dubious goal panel gave Dorgu the goal, but one ex-Man Utd star has called for them to reconsider their decision.

Man Utd Icon Wants Fernandes Assist Chalked Off

Plenty of rival fans have been calling for the assist to be scrapped, with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne previously holding the record of 20 assists in a Premier League season.

And while speaking to BetVictor, via The Sun, former Man Utd midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba was asked for his opinion on the situation, and he revealed that he is in the same boat and feels that it should be chalked off.

“I think it should be chalked off,” he said.

“You can clearly see what happened. The ball did not cross the line properly and it came back off the goalkeeper into the net.

“In my opinion, they need to remove it. If the rules are the rules, then it should not count as an assist.”

Djemba-Djemba is widely regarded as one of the worst signings from the Sir Alex Ferguson era, having played just 39 games for the club over 18 months before leaving for Aston Villa.

Fernandes Deserves Assist Record

Assists have always been a bit of a weird phenomenon in football, because you be credited with one for a sideways one yard pass, and receive nothing at all if you dribble past the whole team and play a pass to someone else who sets up the goal.

But what Fernandes did this season, while playing as a holding midfielder for much of the campaign under Ruben Amorim in a struggling team, before leading the side to a third-place finish and registering goals or assists against all but three opponents this season, tells you how good he was.

Some replays show that the ball was heading in before the touch off the goalkeeper, while others show the opposite. There’s nothing concrete, and therefore it would be crazy for the league to take the assist, and therefore the record, away from him.

Newcastle United endured a season to forget as they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League with no European football on offer next campaign.

After a memorable 2024-25 campaign that saw the club lift the Carabao Cup and qualify for the Champions League, the last 10 months have been rife with inconsistency and lacklustre displays.

For a second summer in a row, Newcastle face a tough battle to keep hold of their top players. Sandro Tonali has been linked with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Anthony Gordon is attracting strong interest from across Europe.

Bayern Munich are keen on the player while Liverpool are not out of the race to sign the boyhood Reds fan.The Magpies value Gordon at £75m and are reluctant to sell him unless that valuation is met.

Anthony Gordon agrees personal terms with Barcelona

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano expects Gordon to leave St James’ Park this summer. While there is interest from Bayern and Liverpool, Barcelona are ‘big, big fans of the player’.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “I expect him to leave Newcastle, I expect movements around Anthony Gordon.

“Barcelona, I have to tell you this, Barcelona are really big, big, big fans of Anthony Gordon.”

Gordon clearly has no shortage of suitors with Romano also revealing that several Premier League clubs have made calls to understand the situation on the player’s future.

The England international joined Newcastle in January 2023 in a deal worth up to £45m. He became the Magpies’ all-time top-scorer in the Champions League this season and netted a total of 17 times in 46 games this term.

In a fresh update, Romano posted on X that Gordon has now agreed personal terms to join Barcelona. He said: “Total agreement reached between Anthony Gordon and Barcelona on personal terms

“Barcelona are in direct, official talks with Newcastle to close the deal club-to-club. Barça want to get the deal done quickly to anticipate PL clubs and Bayern, still active behind scenes.”

Where should Anthony Gordon go if he leaves Newcastle United?

While Gordon seemingly has his pick of clubs, Newcastle are likely to prioritise the biggest offer over the player’s preference.

At Bayern, he would be competing with Michael Olise for a spot on the right wing while at Barca he would need to unseat Lamine Yamal if he wanted to play in his natural position.

At Liverpool, an avenue to first-team football is much more open. Mohamed Salah has left the Merseyside club after nine years at Anfield and the right wing position is up for grabs.

Jeremie Frimpong has been used in an attacking role in the last few months but he is a right-back by trade. Meanwhile, Federico Chiesa’s game-time has continued to be heavily limited under Arne Slot.

Gordon also knows Liverpool striker Alexander Isak well, with the pair playing 84 times together at Newcastle before the Sweden international joined the Reds.

However, with the player agreeing personal terms to join Barca, he is backing himself to make an impact in Spain as the clubs continue talks over a deal.