- Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes is frontrunner for PFA POTY award
- Arsenal’s title collapse a contributing factor to Rice’s probability
- Gunners midfielder has been favourite for majority of 2025/26 season
Manchester United bounced back with a 1-0 win over Chelsea last week. It did more than just solidify their prospects of Champions League qualification for next season.
The victory inadvertently had a positive effect on the race for the PFA Player of the Year (POTY) award.
Last year, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah won the award for a third time, with Bruno Fernandes making the final nominee list. The shortlist is usually announced in June, and this season’s list will certainly include the United captain.
However, can he go one step further and win the POTY award for the first time?
Bruno Fernandes is Leading Favourite for PFA Award
For months, Arsenal star Declan Rice has been the runaway favourite. According to the metrics on Polymarket, the midfielder held a commanding 60% probability lead at the end of March. However, Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on April 19 has triggered Mikel Arteta’s side ‘bottling’ the league title once again.
Consequently, Rice’s odds have fallen from 55% to 33% in the space of just three days. The loss on Sunday handed the title advantage back to Pep Guardiola’s side, who have a game in hand. The Manchester United captain has taken over the lead for the first time, with a 39% probability.
Fernandes has been in excellent form this season, despite playing under three managers. Under Ruben Amorim, he was deployed in a deeper central midfield role. Once the Portuguese coach was sacked, Fernandes returned to a familiar number ten position under Darren Fletcher (caretaker) and Michael Carrick.
The 31-year-old has scored 8 goals and provided 18 assists in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Earlier in the season, he surpassed David Beckham‘s club record of 15 assists in one season. The Portuguese midfielder is aiming to match or break the league’s record of 20 set by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.
With five games to go, and just two assists left to match the historical record, Fernandes is ahead of schedule to achieve that. Moreover, it would further boost his chances of winning the POTY award.
Bruno Would Be Deserving Winner
The momentum shift in Bruno’s lead is more than just a result of Arsenal’s title slip. His incredible individual season is a validation of one of the Premier League and Manchester United’s most resilient asset.
Despite all the managerial merry-go-round since he arrived at Old Trafford in 2020, Fernandes’ output has always been consistently high. He has developed into a leader and a modern-day club legend.
The former Sporting man has accumulated individual awards, such as the Premier League Player of the Month. Over the course of his Old Trafford career, he has won the award six times – one shy of joint first. He is the only man to win four awards in one calendar year. Winning POTY would be a recognition of him truly getting his flowers. If he were to win the annual award, it would not be all that outlandish to suggest that he should stake a claim in the Ballon d’Or conversation as well.
