Bruno Fernandes reveals voting for Arsenal star at PFA Player of the Year Awards
By Joel Masibo, August 27, 2026Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 crowned the PFA Men’s Player of the Year after an outstanding 2025-26 campaign, but the Portuguese midfielder has revealed that his personal vote went to an Arsenal player.
David Raya, Declan Rice, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber were all named in the PFA Team of the Year for 2025/26.
Fernandes was recognised for his influential performances during a season in which he helped United secure a third-place Premier League finish and qualify for the Champions League.
Fernandes wins individual award
The Manchester United skipper collected the prestigious award at Tuesday night’s PFA ceremony at the Manchester Opera House, attending the event with his wife, Ana Pinho.
The 31-year-old enjoyed an exceptional campaign under manager Michael Carrick, establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s most productive creators.
Fernandes provided 21 assists in the league, setting a new single-season record in the competition. His contribution was instrumental in United’s push for a top-three finish and their return to Europe’s premier club competition.
He beat two Manchester City nominees and three Arsenal players to the individual prize.
However, because players are not permitted to vote for themselves, Fernandes had to select another nominee when submitting his ballot.
Fernandes votes Arsenal rival
Fernandes revealed that he chose an Arsenal player, although he declined to disclose the identity of the individual.
“I won’t say who it was but I voted for some Arsenal player,” he admitted.
The United captain was full of praise for Arsenal’s performances throughout the campaign, particularly their success in England and Europe.
“They were amazing; very strong, very difficult to play against,” Fernandes added. “A team that was very successful, not just in the Premier League but also in European competition.
“Getting into that Champions League final was something that was amazing from them, keeping themselves in the competition until so late, it’s something that they need to be proud of. And I think they deserve all the respect that all the Premier League has to give to them.”
Fernandes reflects on record
The Portuguese star also discussed his record-breaking 21 assists, explaining that he did not pay much attention to the possibility of breaking the record until the achievement became a major talking point.
He also suggested that his forwards were more conscious of the milestone than he was as they continued converting his chances.
“I’m very proud that all the ones that have decided to help me,” he said of his teammates. “I haven’t thought about the record much until you guys started commenting so much. Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it and everything. But I think it got into my strikers and into myself.
“The more so, you get to score the goal and to give me that feeling that sometimes they even forgot about their own game. But I’m very happy because assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I’m assisting, Manchester United is getting goals.
“But obviously, we don’t play tennis. We play football. We play in a team. We play for a club. We play for our fans. And there’s nothing more special than that.”
United looking to recover
Despite Fernandes’ individual success, Manchester United have endured a difficult opening to the 2026-27 Premier League campaign.
Carrick’s side began the season with a 2-0 loss at newly promoted Hull City, leaving them immediately needing to recover ground in the standings.
United will have an opportunity to respond when they welcome Ipswich Town on Sunday, with Fernandes acknowledging that his side are already behind their intended start.
“We’re three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment. We’ve got a game at home that we want to win, and this is the game. And try to get those points that we have ahead of us,” he concluded.