Bruno Fernandes is having an incredible season for Manchester United but he put a question mark next to his future with an interview he gave in December.

Michael Carrick insists Manchester United have no plans to cash in on Bruno Fernandes and are desperate to keep the 31-year-old as he closes in on another Premier League record at Old Trafford.

Fernandes set up two of United’s goals in a 3-1 win against Aston Villa at Old Trafford to take his tally to 16 assists for the season, only four behind the league record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder became just the third United player in the Premier League era to reach a century of goals and assists in the process and is enjoying another brilliant season at the club.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

But his future is in some doubt after an interview he gave in Portugal in December, where he said he felt United wanted to sell him last year but lacked the courage to tell him to go. It has led to questions over what will happen this summer, with Fernandes having a clause in his contract that allows him to join a foreign club for £57million.

The fact that United are on track to return to the Champions League could be enough to convince Fernandes to stay at the club and Carrick clearly doesn’t want to lose him.

“In terms of the club and moving forward, it’s difficult for me to get involved in too much of that,” he said. “Bruno’s definitely not someone we’d want to lose, I can say that. He’s important for us and he’s definitely one we wouldn’t want to lose.

“Bruno has done it for a long period of time now, in the big moments and making the difference, whether scoring or creating he’s normally around it. Two very different [assists] today.

“He has a really good understanding with Case and working with Jonny [Evans] on the set plays. There’s also the bit you can coach and then there’s a little bit of the players and the understanding. They’ve got a great connection there with that and have done it a few times before, so that was good.

“Then the passing around it, getting in positions where you can play that final pass, and it was one we’ve seen before and then he plays Ben in as well I think after that, so there’s not a lot else to say that I’ve not sat here and said before about Bruno.”

Carrick is relaxed about whether Fernandes can break the record for assists in a single Premier League season, with eight games remaining to get the four he needs to draw level or the five he needs to take it on his own.

But with eight assists in his last 10 games, he is in form and is arguably the player of the season in the Premier League so far.

“I’d much rather the points and us win than that,” Carrick said of the record, “so I don’t think it’s something you go chasing for, I think it happens naturally anyway, but yeah, if he does, then he’s obviously created goals for us, so we’ll be happy with that.

“I think he’s important for us. He’s playing in positions now where we need to find him and we need to supply him as much as we can for all the team to make the difference, but it’s not just about Bruno.

“He’s had some really important moments recently, but I think as a team, sharing that responsibility, so it’s not always on one player, I think it’s really important. And then it does make everyone else’s job that little bit easier, so he’s not taking everything on himself, which he shouldn’t and he doesn’t really for us.”