Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was recently crowned The Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year following an excellent season at Old Trafford
Bruno Fernandes has revealed he was left “gutted” when Declan Rice chose to join Arsenal from West Ham in the summer of 2023.
The Manchester United skipper, who has just pipped Rice to the The Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award, makes no secret of the fact he wanted the England international to join him at Old Trafford.
While United held an interest in Rice, it ended up being a straight shootout between Arsenal and Manchester City for his signature.
Fernandes told The Football Writers’ Association: “I’ve always said, Rice was a player to play for Man United, I was really sad when he chose to go Arsenal. I always thought he would be a perfect fit for our club.”
The pair had actually trained together that summer in the Algarve, Portugal and there is clear respect between one another.
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While the FWA award results have sparked debate, nobody can deny that Fernandes – like Rice – has had a remarkable season.
He has scored eight Premier League goals and provided 19 assists while Rice has driven Arsenal towards top-flight and Champions League glory.
Fernandes shared his pride after claiming the prize: “Obviously it’s always nice to see a lot of people have voted for you and I know this is a massive award in the UK and for me it’s very special to do it.
“I know that the club have not had a winner since 2010 with Wayne Rooney and that makes it even more special for me.
“It also comes from people who follow football from all around the UK, people who work in the background behind the players and it makes it very special.”
The United talisman still has the chance to equal or potentially break Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s record for most assists (20) in a single Premier League season.
The Red Devils play Nottingham Forest this weekend before travelling to Brighton on the final day of the season.
Manchester City midfielder and Portugal international team-mate Bernardo Silva revealed this week that he voted for Fernandes for PFA Player of the Year.
Neither Fernandes nor Rice have won the PFA Player of the Year award, which is voted for by their colleagues, before.
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