As the 2025-26 Premier League season enters its final stretch, the debate over who deserves to win the Player of the Year award is reaching a crescendo.
While Arsenal and Manchester City players will dominate the conversation given their current involvement in the title race, there is another contender from the red half of Manchester.
Bruno Fernandes has not only been Manchester United’s standout performer but also the league’s most influential creative force.
Rejuvenated since the appointment of Michael Carrick as interim manager, the Portuguese international leads the Premier League in big chances created, key passes and expected assists.
Following his match-winning performance against Crystal Palace on Sunday, Fernandes became the first United player since David Beckham to record both a goal and an assist in 18 different league matches.
With seven goals and 13 assists, he is the heavy favourite for the Playmaker Award and is in with every chance of breaking the record for the most Premier League assists (20) in a single season.
He has also delivered in every high-stakes moment of 2026, producing masterclasses in wins over Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
If United can maintain their recent upturn in form through the final stretch of the campaign, Fernandes’ case for the Player of the Year award will only strengthen.
Fernandes is not just playing to be the league’s best midfielder – he is playing to be the face of United’s return to the summit of English football.
