Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been named the Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year for his excellent form this season.
FWA Player of the Year: Bruno Fernandes (Image: Getty Images)
He led Manchester United from the front this season, sealing their return to the Champions League and Europe’s elite.
He is still chasing a Premier League record. And now Bruno Fernandes has also scooped the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award as a reward for his form during the 2025-26 season.
The Portuguese playmaker has become a pillar of stability at Manchester United, who have improved significantly under Michael Carrick.
In a wide-ranging interview with Mirror Football’s John Cross, Fernandes spoke about his achievements this season, his future at Old Trafford and the influence Carrick has had on him.
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Congratulations, Bruno. You really were the clear winner. What does this award mean to you?
“Of course it’s always nice to see so many people voting for you and I know this is a big award in the UK and for me to win it is very special.
“I know this club hasn’t won since 2010 with Wayne Rooney, but that makes it even more special for me.
“We’re also hearing from people who follow football across the UK, who work behind the scenes behind the players, and that’s what makes this game so special.
There are many people who watch you every week without fail. How nice is it to receive praise from the journalists who keep an eye on you?
“Obviously, people want to see the good in themselves, but they don’t really like it when they’re not so good. But that’s part of the job. Of course, when those moments come, I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be here to represent the people who voted for me and the people who didn’t vote for me, the people who made other choices.”
“Of course, everyone has different opinions and preferences, but I am very happy and honored to receive this award.
This means you are in a highly respected peer group and are part of a great group of United players who have won this award over the years. Wayne Rooney was the last winner, but George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton, Cristiano Ronaldo, Teddy Sheringham and Roy Keane also won. Some great players.
Fernandes in top form (Image: Getty Images)
“This means a lot. I’ve always said I’d prefer a collective award rather than an individual award, but as a player you like an opportunity like this to show that you’re doing something right.
“But I want to achieve everything that these players have achieved at the club. But spending this award with them is very important to me and I’m not going to hide it.”
“As I’ve said before, I know what we do is a collective effort, but it feels very special when your individual accomplishments are recognized during the season.
You have a really special connection at United with the club, the fans and the staff. Do you feel loved there? What does that mean to you?
“Especially if you’ve been at a club for a long time, it can feel very difficult. Sometimes people want to see new faces, new people coming in and trying to win and recreate what other players have done in the past.
“But every time I step on the pitch at Old Trafford, I really feel the love and support of the fans, because they believe in me as one of theirs. And I always try to recreate for them what they have seen time and time again when they come to Old Trafford.”
“I try my best to make them proud and at the same time make sure we are as successful as possible.
Assists were important this season. We all know how close we are to breaking Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s record of 20 assists in a season. How much of a goal is that for you?
“As I said before, this is a very special record because it belongs to Thierry and Kevin. They have been outstanding players in the Premier League for many years and it would be great to be able to do that.”
“But I don’t want to focus too much on that, because we want to achieve our goals and we want to achieve what is possible for us. One of them was to get back into the Champions League places. We wanted to get back into the European places and it’s even better to get back into the Champions League.”
“Creating chances, passing the ball to teammates and helping them score goals is also part of my game, so if I get a chance to score myself I’m happy to take it.
“That record would be a great accomplishment, but it’s not something I particularly want to focus on.
Of all your assists this season, my favorite was the pass to Brian Mbeumo in the Manchester derby. Do you have a favorite? “From this season, I have a lot of players that I like. People talk a lot about set-pieces, but a lot of people come for set-pieces. And when I see Casemiro score a goal or get a header, he tells me exactly where he wants the ball to go.”
“Sometimes it’s more difficult than doing a 40 or 50 meter run thinking about moving the center back or moving Brian to the wrong side to give him space.
“Sometimes it’s more difficult because you have to put the ball exactly where you want it, like Brian had to put it in. And he has to have the quality to head it in.”
Fernandes wants to win more trophies with Manchester United (Image: Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
“But in terms of certain aspects of the game, the change of manager, a difficult few weeks, there were two games before that that didn’t go our way. We played away to Burnley and won, but we were knocked out of the FA Cup and had to play City at home, who we know are our big rivals.
“Also, this is a very important game, an important game for us to turn things around and do things differently this season.
Michael Carrick – What an influence he was. Did you enjoy working for him? Is he a good choice?
“I have previously worked under him as an assistant manager and I have had the opportunity to spend three games with him, and I have always said that Michael has a great personality to be a top manager and has the undeniable qualities as a player.
“As a player, when you can think as a player and watch the game the way he did, you can do that from the bench. It’s a different thing, but when you have that composure and that experience off the bench, you know he can be a potential manager and he’s showing that.
“He did very well for Middlesbrough. This season didn’t go well for him, but maybe he was lucky! Because then he was available for the club and then he had a chance to come back and he did a great job towards the end of the season.”
“It’s up to the club to decide whether they want to maintain their faith in him or go their separate ways.
Bruno – It’s obvious that you are passionate. You put your heart out there and your fans respect that. Because it shows how much you care.
“I’m not very good at hiding my emotions. I express my emotions openly and I’m not afraid of it. Some people take it positively, and some people take it negatively.
“But you can’t change who you are. It’s instilled in you and you can’t change it from day to day. You can’t just become someone else.
“You can adapt, you can improve, you can learn, and I’m doing that every day. Obviously I can be a better player, a better person, a better captain, a better teammate, and I’m always going to do that until the end of my career.”
How ambitious is it for you now to win a big trophy with Manchester United?
Michael Carrick has overseen a huge improvement at Old Trafford (Image: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s always been a prize for me. That’s been my goal. I’ve never hidden it. Like I said before, I’m not very good at hiding things.”
“I always say what I want to achieve. What I want to achieve is to win the league and win the Champions League. I will never hide that, just like I wanted to win the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. And we achieved that.”
“Unfortunately we couldn’t bring home the Europa League, but if we come back to the Europa League as a club, it’s my goal to win a trophy. I won’t hide.
“Of course, going into next season, we all know that the aim of this club always has to be winning. I don’t think when players choose to come to Man United in the first place it’s not just because they want to put on the shirt.”
“It’s a big feeling, it’s a big thing to be sent off at Old Trafford and that was the dream I had, but I had that dream because I knew this club could win things and come close to winning the Premier League and the Champions League. That’s why I came to this club.
Is that still achievable and is it something you feel you can achieve while at the club?
“For me, they have to be, start the season with zero points with the other players, start with zero points in the Champions League and go to the knockout stage.
“You always have to think that a draw could be 50-50 depending on the opponent and there are always chances for both teams so you just have to take your chances.
It’s been a very exciting end to the season. Portugal midfield – amazing! Do you think you can achieve a lot in Portugal this summer?
“Of course. I think the dream is there. Portugal have never done it and I think we are already at the stage where we played together in the World Cup. Many of us were together in Qatar when we didn’t win the trophy.”
“But our aim is always to go as far as possible to win that trophy and, as I said, we have a very beautiful team, very good players and are doing very well at the club.
“For us, we just have to focus on that whenever the season is over and get the best out of each other in just over a month so we can go home on July 20th.”
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