Captain of Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes, has been awarded the men’s player of the year by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
Fernandes accepted the accolade at the PFA’s annual awards event held on Tuesday in Manchester, beating out contenders like Arsenal‘s Declan Rice and Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Recognized by his peers, Fernandes received this honor following what many consider to be his best year at Old Trafford, where he achieved a remarkable 21 assists in the Premier League last season.
In addition to assisting, he scored nine goals during the campaign as United improved to finish third, marking him as the first United player to win this award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
“This is obviously a very proud moment,” Fernandes commented. “These are the individuals you compete against, and it’s likely not easy to cast a vote for someone who plays on the opposing team, so this makes it a special moment.”
Since joining from Sporting CP in 2020, the 31-year-old has exceeded 200 goal contributions for United across all competitions as of February.
The Portugal international also claimed the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) and Premier League player of the year awards earlier this summer.
On the City side of Manchester, Nico O’Reilly was recognized with the men’s young player of the year award.
Having made 34 league appearances last season, O’Reilly had a breakout year under Pep Guardiola, earning a spot in England‘s FIFA World Cup squad.
He notably scored two goals against Arsenal at Wembley as City secured the Carabao Cup in February.
“I had an excellent season and am incredibly proud of my achievements,” O’Reilly shared. “Winning two trophies with my club and competing at the World Cup with my country is an unreal experience. I’m thrilled with how it all turned out.”
Unsurprisingly, Arsenal has the most players listed in the PFA Premier League team of the year, with five selections compared to City’s four. Fernandes and Brentford‘s Igor Thiago complete the lineup.
PFA Award Winners (Men’s)
Premier League Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Premier League Young Player of the Year: Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
Premier League Team of the Year: David Raya; Jurriën Timber, Gabriel, William Saliba (Arsenal); Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City); Declan Rice (Arsenal); Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United); Rayan Cherki; Antoine Semenyo; Erling Haaland (Manchester City); Igor Thiago (Brentford).
Championship Player of the Year: Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough)
League One Player of the Year: Dom Ballard (Leyton Orient)
League Two Player of the Year: Aaron Drinan (Swindon Town)
PA contributed to this report.