Fernandes reveals he voted for an Arsenal player before winning PFA Player of the Year himself

Bruno Fernandes admitted he cast his PFA Player of the Year vote for an Arsenal player — only to take the award himself at Tuesday’s ceremony at the Manchester Opera House. The Manchester United captain beat three Arsenal nominees and two Manchester City players to claim the prize, capping an outstanding 2025-26 campaign.

Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record during the season, setting a new high of 21 and driving United to a third-place finish that secured Champions League football. Speaking on the red carpet alongside his wife, Ana Pinho, the 31-year-old Portuguese midfielder declined to name the Arsenal player he backed but was generous in his praise.

“I won’t say who it was but I voted for some Arsenal player,” Fernandes said. “They were amazing; very strong, very difficult to play against. 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.”

On his own record-breaking season, Fernandes reflected on how the assists milestone crept up on him. “I haven’t thought about the record much until you guys started commenting so much,” he said. “Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it. But I think it got more 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.”

Fernandes was also quick to frame individual honours within a collective context. “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.”

The United skipper acknowledged the pressure that comes with his role at Old Trafford but said he welcomes it. “It’s very good to have that responsibility because it’s something nice. It’s something you can enjoy. Obviously, you have to deal with it. It’s not always easy, but I think it’s better to have that pressure than none.”

Fernandes also addressed United’s 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull on Saturday, a result that left the club three points adrift of their early-season target. “We’re three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment,” he said, with United looking to bounce back at home in their next fixture.