Who Deserves to Win Premier League Player of the Season?
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Who deserves to win the Premier League Player of the Season? Right now, the strongest case can be made for Bruno Fernandes.
That might sound strange at first because Manchester United are not in the title race, and these awards often lean toward stars from the top two or three teams. But Player of the Season should not only be about team position. It should be about influence, consistency, and how much a player has shaped the story of the campaign. On that basis, Fernandes stands out. The Premier League’s official Playmaker race shows he has 17 assists, the most in the division, and he is now within touching distance of the single-season record of 20 shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He has also broken David Beckham’s old Manchester United record for assists in a Premier League season.
What makes his season even more impressive is the context around it. United have not had a smooth campaign, which usually makes elite numbers harder to produce. Yet Fernandes has still been their creative engine, their tempo-setter, and often the player dragging them through difficult matches. The Premier League’s official analysis notes that he has produced 10 assists in 12 league matches in 2026 alone, and no player in the league has combined with one teammate more often than Fernandes has with Casemiro this season.
Of course, there are other serious contenders. Erling Haaland has 22 league goals and leads the Golden Boot race again, which is always a powerful argument in an award like this. If Manchester City go on to catch Arsenal and win the title, his case will become even stronger.
Then there is the Arsenal angle. Arsenal are top of the table with 70 points from 32 matches, and if they finish the job, many people will naturally look at one of their leaders, especially Declan Rice, as the face of that triumph. Team success matters, and awards often follow it.
But that is exactly why Fernandes deserves extra credit. He has put up elite, history-chasing numbers without the cushion of a dominant team around him. He has been productive, durable, and decisive in a side that has too often lacked balance. When a player is still delivering at that level while others around him fluctuate, that says a lot.
So while the final weeks could still change the picture, especially if Haaland powers City to the title or Arsenal crown their season with silverware, the best individual case today belongs to Bruno Fernandes. Player of the Season should reward the player who has done the most, not just the one with the best team around him. On that argument, Fernandes is ahead.
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