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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was named the men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year after a standout campaign that saw him finish the Premier League season with nine goals and a record-breaking 21 assists, surpassing the previous benchmark held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. The award marks Manchester United’s first PFA Players’ Player of the Year win since Wayne Rooney claimed the honor back in the 2009/10 season.
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Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly was recognized as the men’s PFA Young Player of the Year following a breakthrough campaign in which the 21-year-old academy graduate made 53 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals and providing six assists, while also showing notable versatility by adapting from his natural midfield role into left-back for City.
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The PFA Premier League Team of the Year was announced alongside the individual prizes, with champions Arsenal supplying five players to the XI, including David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, while Manchester City contributed four representatives of their own in Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and O’Reilly.
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Football legend Sir Kenny Dalglish was honored with a PFA Merit Award in recognition of his decorated career across playing and management with Celtic, Liverpool, Scotland and Blackburn Rovers, adding a moment of celebration for football’s past alongside the achievements of today’s leading men’s players.
August 26, (THEWILL) — Bruno Fernandes and Nico O’Reilly gave Manchester’s two biggest clubs plenty to celebrate at the 2026 PFA Awards, with both players walking away as headline winners on a night that doubled as a showcase for the very best the Premier League has to offer.
Fernandes capped off a remarkable season by being named the men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year at the ceremony, held at the Manchester Opera House.
The Portuguese midfielder was central to Manchester United’s turnaround during the 2025/26 campaign, finishing the Premier League season with nine goals and a staggering 21 assists, a new single-season record that pushed him past the mark previously shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
United endured a shaky start to the season but rallied under Michael Carrick to finish third and secure Champions League football for next season.
What makes the award particularly significant is the fact that it’s decided entirely by fellow professional footballers, meaning Fernandes was recognized by the very players he lined up against week after week. It also ends a lengthy drought for Manchester United, with Fernandes becoming the club’s first winner of the award since Wayne Rooney picked it up in 2009/10.
He’d already collected the Football Writers’ Association’s top individual honor earlier in the year, making this his second major individual accolade of an outstanding campaign.
O’Reilly took home the men’s PFA Young Player of the Year award after a genuine breakout season at the Etihad. The 21-year-old academy product made 53 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with nine goals and six assists, but it was his adaptability that stood out most.
Predominantly a midfielder by trade, O’Reilly earned increasing trust from Pep Guardiola in an unfamiliar left-back role and delivered when it mattered most, scoring twice in City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal.
His rise didn’t stop at club level either. O’Reilly earned his first England recognition this season and was included in the Three Lions’ 2026 World Cup squad, capping an already impressive year.
He was also named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, lining up alongside City teammates Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.
That Team of the Year was otherwise dominated by champions Arsenal, who placed five players in the XI: David Raya, Gabriel, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. Fernandes earned his spot too, on the back of his record-breaking assist tally, while Brentford striker Igor Thiago rounded out the side as the lone representative from outside the traditional top clubs.
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The night also carried a moment of reflection on football’s past, with Sir Kenny Dalglish receiving a PFA Merit Award for a career that spanned decades as both a player and a manager.
Dalglish won major honours during his playing days with Celtic and Liverpool before going on to lead Liverpool to three league titles as manager, and later guiding Blackburn Rovers to a Premier League title of their own.
Beyond the headline prizes, the night also served as recognition for a wider group of standout performers across the league. Haaland, Cherki and Semenyo’s inclusion in the Team of the Year underlined just how dominant Manchester City were throughout the campaign, while Declan Rice’s selection continued a breakout period of form and leadership at Arsenal. Igor Thiago’s presence in the XI, meanwhile, stood out as a reminder that individual brilliance wasn’t confined only to the traditional top clubs this season.
Taken together, it was a night that balanced Manchester’s grip on English football’s present with a nod to one of the game’s most decorated figures from its past all of it decided by the players who know the standard required better than anyone else.
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
