Bruno Fernandes heaps praise on Declan Rice after beating him to FWA award – and says he wished he had joined Man Utd | OneFootball

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has lauded Declan Rice after beating him to the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year award.

Fernandes won the vote after a brilliant season that has seen him register 19 Premier League assists. He received 45% of the votes from the FWA members, but said Rice would have been a worthy winner too.

Fernandes said: “I am very happy I won it but if Declan had won this award, it would have been deserved too.

“I don’t think he is the best player or whatever in the league, it is just, in a season where you have to choose between players and obviously numbers make a lot of weight in the decision.

“I think I had a brilliant season and I could add that to my game, obviously for Dec it is more difficult for him to get that because he plays a little bit deeper.

“And still, I think he is an amazing player and if he got this award, I would have messaged him and said congratulations, as I did when he got into the final of the Champions League.”

Fernandes went on to say that he wishes Rice had joined Manchester United after leaving West Ham.

The Englishman ultimately decided to join Arsenal for £105 million in the summer of 2023.

“To be honest, I admire him (Rice) a lot, first of all as a person, because I know him from the Algarve when we were training together and everything.

“Obviously, I knew him already from West Ham and we all knew the qualities he had and I have always said that I thought Rice was a player to play for Man United.

“I was really sad when he chose to go to Arsenal, I don’t know if there was the opportunity or the chance to come to Manchester United, but I always thought that he would be the perfect fit for our club.

“Not just for the player he is but for the person he is, for the professional, he showed me that he is in for his personality and I think what he has been doing this season is a different position, it is a different style of play.

“He is a player that does not need to get in this position, he does not need to assist as much, he does not need to score as much, because he demands different things.

“The way Arsenal play is different from the way we play, so we can’t compare the players but what we can say is that he has been one of the standout players from the Premier League this season.”