Can Bruno Fernandes claim a personal awards double and deny Arsenal stars after title-winning season? | OneFootball

Bruno Fernandes will attempt to add the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award to the Football Writers’ Association honour he collected last month after being named on a six-man shortlist dominated by Arsenal’s Premier League champions.

The Manchester United captain is joined by Arsenal trio Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and David Raya, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki completing the shortlist for the players’ award.

Fernandes’ inclusion comes after a remarkable individual campaign in which he registered a Premier League record 21 assists to help Manchester United secure a third-place finish. The Portugal international was rewarded by the Football Writers’ Association last month and will now hope his fellow professionals follow suit.

However, he faces strong competition from an Arsenal contingent that helped deliver one of the club’s most memorable seasons in recent history.

Rice, Gabriel and Raya were all central figures as Mikel Arteta’s side ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title before becoming the last English club standing in Europe’s elite knock out competition on their run to last week’s Champions League final.

With Arsenal’s success built on collective excellence rather than one standout individual, the presence of three Gunners among the six nominees underlines the scale of their achievement.

Rice once again established himself among the league’s elite midfielders, Gabriel was a commanding presence at the heart of the division’s best defence, while Raya’s consistency between the posts proved crucial throughout the title-winning campaign.

The winners will be announced at the 53rd annual PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester on August 25.

PFA Men’s Player of the Year shortlist

PFA Women’s Player of the Year shortlist

PFA Men’s Young Player of the Year shortlist

PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year shortlist