Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for the 2025/26 season.
Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has been named FWA Footballer of the Year for the 2025/26 season
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Bruno Fernandes has won the Football Writers' Association player of the season award after a potentially record-breaking season for Manchester United, edging out Declan Rice and Erling Haaland.
The 31-year-old has recorded 19 assists and eight goals in 32 Premier League games this season, and he just needs one assist in his final three games to equal the all-time league record, held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
It has been another stunning season for Fernandes, who can take that record on his own with two assists in United's remaining games against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Brighton. His form has gone up a level since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in January and he has been key to United's return to the Champions League.
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That should be enough to see Fernandes stay at OId Trafford for another season. His finest season yet for United comes after a summer when he came close to leaving for Saudi Arabia, and his £56million release clause, available to clubs from abroad, could look tempting after this season.
The Portugal international has a year remaining on his contract, with the option of a further 12 months, but has made no secret of his desire to win trophies, having claimed a League Cup and FA Cup in his six-and-a-half seasons at United.
Fernandes won the award by just 28 votes from Arsenal midfielder Rice, with the United man gaining 45% of the overall vote. He was the only United player to earn any votes.
Fernandes becomes the first male United player to win the FWA Footballer of the Year award since Wayne Rooney took top prize in 2009/10. It is the 10th time in history the award has been won by someone playing their football at Old Trafford.
The women's FWA award went to Manchester City striker Bunny Shaw by a landslide, with the 29-year-old scoring 19 goals in 21 WSL games for the title winners.