The Manchester United captain was the architect behind a vital 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, providing the final pass for goals from Casemiro and Matheus Cunha. By recording two assists in the match, Fernandes took his season tally to 16, moving one clear of the 15 assists David Beckham managed during the iconic 1999-2000 season."Obviously, it's very nice," Fernandes told MUTV when asked about surpassing the treble-winner. "It's a very good achievement. We're talking about one of the best players, certainly [the best] strikers of anyone in the box. So I'm very pleased to do that. It's not going to change anything for what I want but being there with a name who, obviously, was one of the players everyone looks up to, in the way of crossing and the way of passing."The 31-year-old went on to reveal how he tried to emulate the England legend during his childhood. "Like everyone in their own garden tried to do it like Beckham and was doing it, even if you're just swinging your arm, like he used to do it, not as much the ball! I'm obviously very happy to do that [beat his record]."Despite the statistical significance of his achievement, Fernandes remains focused on collective success at Old Trafford. "Obviously, it's not something I dream about or thought about but I always want to help the team to get [what we want] in most of the games," he added. "Scoring goals and assisting is a big part of my game. I'm very pleased today worked out and made us win the game."The midfielder, who joked that Casemiro should share his goal bonus for the pinpoint delivery he received, is determined to push United toward a strong finish. "Until the end of the season, I want to try to keep helping the team and improving on that, results-wise," the captain concluded as United look to cement their place in the top four.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingThe win moves United into a commanding position in the race for Champions League qualification, sitting three points clear of Villa in third place. With eight games remaining in the 2025-26 season, the Red Devils will rely heavily on their history-making captain to maintain his scintillating form through a difficult run-in that includes fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool.