Declan Rice may be a symbol for Arsenal's journey to conquer the Premier League title this season. Erling Haaland still has time to help Manchester City break away in the Premier League title race. But if considering individual performance throughout the 2025-2026 season, Bruno Fernandes is the name worthy of being considered the best player in the league.
The captain of Manchester United currently has 19 assists in the Premier League, only one less than the league record for "serving the feast". Whether he breaks the record or not, Fernandes' creativity this season is still at a completely different level.
According to statistics from Opta, Fernandes has created up to 120 chances in the Premier League this season. To make it easier to imagine, that number is almost double that of the player ranked second in the list. This is also the season with the most chances created in his career at Man United.
It is worth mentioning that Fernandes is not only dependent on set pieces. Although this is still a familiar strength, the Portuguese midfielder is also the player who creates the most chances from live balls in the league. He also makes more high passes than anyone else, besides dangerous through balls more than 50% compared to the rest of the league.
This is a player who not only sees space, but instead he is also bold enough to make passes that most others do not dare to think of.
This season is also not easy for Bruno Fernandes. Man United experienced a major upheaval when Ruben Amorim was sacked in January in the context of the top 4 race facing the risk of collapse. Under Amorim, Fernandes was often pulled down to play lower, but he still maintained his influence with endurance and incredible adaptability.
When Michael Carrick took over, the former Sporting player was returned to his free role behind the attack and immediately exploded. Since mid-January, no player in the Premier League has directly participated in more goals than Fernandes.
His excellent moments this season ranged from a perfect cross for Benjamin Sesko against Burnley, a sharp counter-attack against Manchester City with a delicate through ball for Bryan Mbeumo, to a situation where he fooled Calvin Bassey before assisting the decisive goal against Fulham in injury time.
In particular, Fernandes' many passes are not simply "serving the feast". It is the quality and ideas in his handling that create space for teammates to exploit. That is the quality of top conductors.
Michael Carrick also admitted that Fernandes' success came from being placed in the right role: "The important thing is to create a suitable structure for Bruno Fernandes to maximize his ability. We want to put him in a position that can have the greatest impact.
That belief has brought immediate results. Man United is the team that has won the most points in the Premier League since Carrick took over, thereby officially returning to the Champions League next season after a 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
Of course, Fernandes is still a controversial player. He often becomes the target of attacks from the opponent's stands and many former legends still doubt his leadership qualities. But reality shows that Fernandes has never been the cause of Man United's decline. On the contrary, he is a rare bright spot maintaining class amidst the prolonged chaos at Old Trafford.
Like Bryan Robson in Man United's difficult period before, Fernandes is shouldering the team with talent, personality and fighting spirit.
He helps everyone. Bruno Fernandes is a great captain, a great player and also a great person. He deserves these moments" - Matheus Cunha commented.
The Football Journalists Association of England (FWA) also shares that view when honoring Fernandes as Player of the Year. And looking at what the Portuguese midfielder has shown throughout this season, it is difficult to find a name more worthy than him.
I am really happy for Bruno Fernandes because he is completely worthy. He has shown great stability for a long time, has a great influence on the team and always shows the leadership qualities of a captain" - Carrick shared.
