Bruno Fernandes Reveals He Voted for Arsenal Star for Player of the Year

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes claimed the PFA Player of the Year award on Tuesday, beating out three Arsenal players and two Manchester City stars.

Bruno Fernandes revealed he voted for an Arsenal player for the award he ultimately won himself. The Manchester United captain was recognized for his exceptional 2025-26 season, during which he broke the Premier League assist record with 21.

His stellar form helped United secure a third-place finish and qualify for the Champions League. The Portuguese midfielder arrived at Tuesday's ceremony at the Manchester Opera House with his wife, Ana Pinho, and gave an interview on the red carpet.

As nominees are not permitted to vote for themselves, Fernandes had to back a rival. The 31-year-old admitted: “I won’t say who it was, but I voted for an Arsenal player. They were incredible, very strong, very difficult to beat. A team that was very successful not only in the Premier League but also in European competitions.

Reaching the Champions League final was an incredible achievement for them, as was staying in the competition for so long. It’s something they should be proud of. And I think they deserve all the respect the Premier League should give them.”

Ultimately, however, Fernandes' vote proved irrelevant as he clinched the top prize. “It was a special season for me individually,” the midfielder commented.

“And obviously, I’m very proud of everyone who decided to help me. I hadn’t thought much about the assist record until you, the journalists, started talking about it so much. Of course, when you start getting close, you begin to think about it. But I think it affected our attackers more than me.

Sometimes they even forgot about their own game to give me an opportunity to make an assist. But I’m very happy because assists mean someone is scoring goals, and if I assist, it means Manchester United is scoring goals.

Obviously, we don’t play tennis. We don’t play just for ourselves. We play football. We play as a team. We play for our club. We play for our fans. And there’s nothing more special than that.

It’s very nice to carry this responsibility because it’s something pleasant. Something you can enjoy. Of course, you have to deal with it. It’s not always easy, but I think it’s better to have this pressure than none at all.”

Fernandes also commented on United’s disappointing 0-2 away loss to newly promoted Hull on Saturday, which saw Michael Carrick’s side start the season poorly.

“We are three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment,” he admitted. “We have a home game coming up that we want to win. That’s the match. And we will try to get the points that are in front of us.”

United hosts Ipswich on Sunday.