Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan blasted the Declan Rice snub (Image: Getty)
Piers Morgan has lashed out after Declan Rice was snubbed for the PFA Player of the Year award in favour of Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker won the award on the back of a record-breaking Premier League season, but Morgan believes it should have gone to Arsenal’s own midfield maestro.
Rice was part of the Arsenal side that ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League title, with the Englishman heralded as one of the key components in the team. Rice was also integral to Arsenal reaching the final of both the Carabao Cup and Champions League.
By contrast, Fernandes finished third with United, wasn’t involved in a title race, and played just 40 matches throughout the entire campaign, after the Red Devils were knocked out of both domestic cups in their first game. However, the 31-year-old enjoyed a stellar individual campaign, as he broke the assist record in the Premier League, surpassing the previous tally of 20 set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
But Morgan, a devout Arsenal fan, was left enraged by the decision. Taking to social media to blast the call, Morgan wrote on X: “Ridiculous… @_DeclanRice should have won this.”
Arsenal stars William Saliba, Gabriel and David Raya were also nominated for the award.
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Regardless, it was Fernandes who took the award, which was voted for by his fellow Premier League players. Reacting to the victory, Fernandes said: “Winning this, being voted by the ones that every week go out on the pitch against me, is something that makes me very proud.
The PFA Awards 2026 - Show
Bruno Fernandes won the PFA Player of the Year award (Image: Getty)
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"Because they've been there, they're playing against me, they've seen what I'm capable of doing, and for them to vote for me is something I'm very grateful for. It's always nice to see the name of the club in these kinds of awards, and obviously the players stand out with the club behind them. That's very important for us.”
Although, the former Sporting star was quick to add that he’d swap the individual award if it meant United took home silverware instead. He said: “Quite obvious, everyone would say the same. We don’t play tennis.”
The race to be crowned PFA Player of the Year for the 2026/27 season has already got underway, with this year’s frontrunners having got off to contrasting starts. Rice’s Arsenal breezed past Premier League newbies Coventry City on Friday night, while United were put to the sword by another of the newly-promoted sides Hull City the following day.