Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has claimed the 2025/26 Premier League Player of the Season award, the first time he has won the honour. The midfielder has enjoyed exceptional form throughout the year and has served as a definite catalyst for an emerging team that has successfully booked their ticket to the UEFA Champions League.

The Portuguese international was a constant threat, registering eight goals and an astonishing 20 assists. This huge feat meant he scored 28 straight goals in 37 league matches, helping the Red Devils secure third place in the standings.

His historic 20th assist of the domestic campaign came during a tough 3–2 win over Nottingham Forest, where he set up Brian Mbumo. That decisive pass saw Fernandes equal the long-standing single-season assist record, bringing him level with legends Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Reuben Amorim Overcoming Strategic Obstacles

The playmaker’s award-winning year began in incredibly difficult circumstances as Manchester United struggled early on during Ruben Amorim’s first full season. Under the former manager’s tactical arrangements, the captain was unnaturally pulled into a deeper midfield role. Instead of serving as the primary final-third creator, he was asked to sit deeper and control the pace of the game.

however, The club severed ties with Amorim after disappointing results.. Subsequent appointment of interim boss Michael Carrick completely changed the fortunes of the team. Carrick immediately restored Fernandes to his preferred number ten role, a tactical adjustment that immediately unlocked his distinctive creative output and supercharged United’s forward line.

Crossing club legends into the history books

“I’m very happy for the assist, for the win and to end the season on a high note,” Fernandes commented after achieving the historic feat. “I’ve reached 20, let’s see—we’ve got one more game! It’s my highest performance ever in the Premier League so I’m very happy with that.”

Fernandes now has the opportunity to claim the outright single-season assist crown if he sets up another goal during the final league match against Aston Villa. He has already surpassed David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 assists, which stood since the 1999/2000 season. Furthermore, his 132 goal-scoring chances created in this period put him comfortably ahead of Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, who finished second with 43 fewer chances.

This honor follows his recent recognition as the Football Writers’ Association’s Men’s Footballer of the Year, making him the first United representative to win the FWA award since Wayne Rooney in 2010. He is also the first Old Trafford player to win the Player of the Season trophy since Nemanja Vidić in 2011.

To win the coveted individual trophy, Fernandes topped a competitive eight-man shortlist featuring Arsenal trio Declan Rice, Gabriel and David Raya, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, Brentford frontman Igor Thiago and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

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