Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes awarded Premier League Player of the Season with assist record in sight, Nico O'Reilly claims Young prize
Updated 23/05/2026 at 14:12 GMT+1
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been named the Premier League’s Player of the Season after a remarkable campaign in which he could still make history, while Nico O'Reilly has taken the Young prize.
‘He’s the Player of the Year’ – Cunha tips Fernandes for Premier League award
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The award comes for Fernandes having played a pivotal role in helping The Red Devils qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
He has registered 20 assists - equalling a record first set by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in 2002/03, and more recently matched by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in 2019/20.
The moment arrived in the 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest when the Portugal international’s cross was turned home by Bryan Mbeumo to spark wild celebrations.
He will aim to break the outright record when United travel to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, with third place already secured.
The 31-year-old, who also has eight goals to his name this term, has thrived under interim manager Michael Carrick, with 13 of his assists coming after Ruben Amorim’s departure in January.
Fernandes has won the award for the first time in his career, becoming the first United player since Nemanja Vidic in 2010/11 to receive the honour.
He saw off competition from a shortlist including Antoine Semenyo, David Raya, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, Gabriel Magalhaes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Thiago - and it crowns a season in which his creative influence has been decisive throughout.
His assists alone have earned United 21 points this campaign - the most by any individual player in a single Premier League season since Opta records began.
Fernandes has also etched his name into the club's history books, setting a new single-season record for United with his assist tally, surpassing David Beckham's previous best of 15 from the 1999/2000 season.
Why Fernandes is a deserving winner
There can be little argument over the Premier League’s standout performer this season.
Although Arsenal’s first title triumph in 22 years has been built on collective excellence, Fernandes has often appeared to be carrying United single-handedly in their push to return to the Champions League following Amorim's dismissal.
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'The dream is there' - Fernandes looks ahead to World Cup after winning FWA award
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The Portuguese playmaker has created 132 chances this season - more than any other player in the division and an extraordinary 58 clear of the next-highest total, recorded by Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai.
At the start of the season, there had been speculation over his Old Trafford future, with some suggestions he needed to be offloaded in order for United to rebuild, amid interest from Saudi Arabia.
But having also scooped the Football Writers' Association's men's Footballer of the Year award last week, recognition of his stellar season is vindication of his decision to remain at the club.
Fernandes will go in search of the all-time Premier League assist record outright at Amex Stadium on Sunday - but his numbers have been consistent throughout his time in England's top division.
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According to Opta, since arriving in the Premier League in January 2020, Fernandes has created 670 chances - an astonishing 238 more than the next player on the list, Kevin De Bruyne.
No player has registered more assists than the Portuguese midfielder's 71 in that period, while only five players have scored more league goals than his tally of 70.
When goals and assists are combined, only Mohamed Salah surpasses Fernandes' total contribution of 141, underlining the consistency and influence he has brought to United in an otherwise turbulent era.
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'He cares about the football club' - Carrick says Fernandes is a team player
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What is left for Fernandes to prove as the Assist King?
Across his seven years at Old Trafford, Fernandes now has 71 Premier League assists, drawing level with Tottenham Hotspur legend Son Heung-min.
However, the broader Premier League benchmarks remain distant. The all-time assist record is still held by Ryan Giggs with 162.
Looking ahead, Fernandes would need to create 14 chances against Brighton this weekend to match Mesut Ozil's record for chances created in a single Premier League season (146, set in 2015/16 with Arsenal).
Despite all his individual brilliance, Fernandes still only has one EFL Cup and one FA Cup to show for his six years at United.
Could he be tempted to target silverware in the latter part of his career, similar to Harry Kane's move from Spurs to Bayern Munich back in 2023?
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'Special' Fernandes 'arguably the best player in league' - Hargreaves
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"It’s tough for Bruno because he’s 31, he’s been an incredible servant. He’s been one of the best signings Man Utd have made in the past 10 years," Owen Hargreaves told TNT Sports back in March.
"It’s just a shame the team hasn’t played to the level of the team that we had and the players that we had. It’s unfortunate for him.
"I think he’s been loyal to the club, and it will be interesting if he stays. I think the club potentially tried to do something last summer.
"I hope he stays, but I can understand why a lot of other teams would want him because he’s just so special."
O'Reilly crowned Young Player of the Season
Meanwhile, Manchester City's versatile full-back Nico O'Reilly has added the Premier League Young Player of the Season honour to his maiden World Cup call-up, to cap a stunning season for the 21-year-old.
O'Reilly, who scored both goals in City's 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal in March, has been tipped to be Thomas Tuchel's first-choice left-back in North America this summer.
City signed Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for a reported £31 million last summer, but outgoing manager Pep Guardiola had no option but to stick with academy graduate O'Reilly for the majority of the campaign, due to his standout performances.
”After my first appearances in senior football last season, I knew this year I could have the opportunity to play more and help the team as much as possible if I worked hard,” O’Reilly said after winning the award.
”To get so many minutes and earn the trust of the manager and my team-mates has been the greatest achievement in my career so far.
”I’m excited to finish the season strong tomorrow and then head to my first World Cup before joining back up with City and working hard again next season.”
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Nico O'Reilly has impressed for Manchester City
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O'Reilly, a boyhood City fan, has progressed through the club's academy since the age of eight, captaining the Under 18s to their respective Premier League 2022/23 title.
His breakthrough into the first team came last season, and this term he has been nothing short of a revelation, making 34 appearances, providing eight goal involvements (five goals, three assists) while helping to keep nine clean sheets.
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