Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice should win the PFA Player of the Year ahead of Bruno Fernandes.
The Manchester United captain is widely regarded as the favourite for the award, but writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson said:
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“Bruno Fernandes has also played extremely well this season. But when it comes to the Player of the Year award, we must not ignore the fact that he only plays once a week.”
“You look at Declan Rice and see the number of games he has played this season. Rice has never lost in the Champions League this season either. Don’t get me wrong, Fernandes is terrific, and I like him as a player. I won’t be surprised if Fernandes won the award, but I just feel Rice has done it for a longer time across competitions.”
How many minutes have Rice and Fernandes played?
The United talisman has played 2843 minutes in all competitions this campaign (prior to the Liverpool fixture), while Rice has been on the pitch for 4002 (ahead of the Fulham game).
There is no doubt that the Arsenal midfielder has had to produce the goods on a more frequent basis, but it remains to be seen whether his fellow professionals will factor that into their votes at the end of the season.
Who are the top 5 contenders for the PFA Player of the Year?
The bookmakers have made Fernandes the favourite, with some giving the midfielder even odds, while others have him odds-on.
Rice is very much a distant second in terms of the runners and riders (being priced between 11/4 and 4/1).
Man City trio Erling Haaland (between 4/1 and 11/2), Bernardo Silva ( between 9/2 and 6/1) and Rayan Cherki (between 8/1 and 12/1) make up the rest of the top 5.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here