Bruno Fernandes has again impressed for Manchester United this season and should be in contention to be crowned Premier League player of the year
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United reacts during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at Vitality Stadium
Bruno Fernandes has impressed for Manchester United this season and is in contention to win the Premier League's Player of the Year award
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It is hitting that period of the season where people begin to think about end-of-season honours.
Nominations will soon surface for the Premier League Player of the Year award. There are plenty of contenders but the consensus is that Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice is the favourite, particularly with the Gunners in pole position to win the Premier League and still in the FA Cup and Champions League.
Rice has proven himself to be a talisman for Arsenal as has centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes. Elsewhere Erling Haaland seemingly always enters the conversation with his plethora of goal contributions but would Bruno Fernandes not be a justifiable winner?
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For several years now, he has been the man United look to in the tough times. He quickly became a major hit at the club after joining in January 2020, winning multiple individual awards alongside an FA Cup and an EFL Cup.
This season he has been a standout player as Michael Carrick's men try to secure a return to the Champions League. He is on the cusp of Thierry Henry's assist record, five behind with seven to play, while after the win over Aston Villa earlier this month he was named the Premier League's 'Player of the Matchweek’ for the fifth time. Arsenal and Chelsea only have four players claim that honour in total and City three.
United’s number eight currently sits second for total goal contributions in the Premier League this season with 24 - behind only to Haaland. It is a number hampered by a series of near misses in the assist department, including a glaring example for United’s second goal against Bournemouth last time out.
Beyond the statistics, one would struggle to find a harder-working player in the Premier League. When you watch United, you quickly see that everything goes through Fernandes.
The additions of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, and Bryan Mbeumo combined with Carrick restoring his captain to the number 10 role has brought out the best in Fernandes, allowing him to run games at his own tempo – a tempo helping United to the heights of third in the table.
Arsenal may be poised to win the league, Haaland may win the golden boot, but Fernandes might just be the best player in the league.