'Very difficult to play against!' - Bruno Fernandes admits he voted for Arsenal star after Man Utd captain scoops PFA Player of the Year award
Fernandes claims top individual prize
Fernandes officially cemented his status as the Premier League's standout performer, lifting the PFA Men's Player of the Year accolade on Tuesday evening. The ceremony took place at the Manchester Opera House, where the Portuguese international arrived alongside his wife, Ana Pinho.
The 31-year-old was rewarded for a phenomenal 2025-26 season under Michael Carrick. Fernandes orchestrated the Red Devils' midfield, shattering the single-season Premier League assist record by setting up 21 goals. His creative brilliance proved vital in guiding United to a third-place finish and securing a return to the Champions League.
He edged out two Manchester City stars and a trio of Arsenal players to claim the trophy. As competition rules prevent nominees from selecting themselves, Fernandes was forced to back a direct rival when casting his vote.
Secret ballot cast for a rival
Speaking on the red carpet, Fernandes disclosed that he supported one of his main competitors for the award. "I won't say who it was but I voted for some Arsenal player," he admitted.
The United skipper was quick to highlight the north London club's formidable form on both domestic and continental fronts. "They were amazing; very strong, very difficult to play against," Fernandes added. "A team that was very successful, not just in the Premier League but also in European competition.
"Getting into that Champions League final was something that was amazing from them, keeping themselves in the competition until so late, it's something that they need to be proud of. And I think they deserve all the respect that all the Premier League has to give to them."
The art of the assist
Reflecting on his record-breaking tally of 21 assists, Fernandes revealed that he only became aware of the milestone once the media began to focus on the numbers. He credited his teammates for their clinical finishing, suggesting that his strikers often became more obsessed with the record than he was.
"I'm very proud that all the ones that have decided to help me," he said of his team-mates. "I haven't thought about the record much until you guys started commenting so much. Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it and everything. But I think it got into more into my strikers and into myself.
"The more so, you get to score the goal and to give me that feeling that sometimes they even forgot about their own game. But I'm very happy because assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I'm assisting, Manchester United is getting goals.
"But obviously, we don't play tennis. We play football. We play in a team. We play for a club. We play for our fans. And there's nothing more special than that."
Bouncing back from an early setback
Despite the individual accolades, Fernandes and United have already hit a stumbling block in the new campaign. Carrick's men suffered a frustrating 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull on the opening weekend, leaving them immediately playing catch-up in the league standings.
United must now regroup as they prepare to host Ipswich on Sunday. Fernandes was honest about the club’s current standing. "We're three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment. We've got a game at home that we want to win, and this is the game. And try to get those points that we have ahead of us," he concluded.
