Bruno Fernandes issues Declan Rice to Manchester United transfer verdict after beating Arsenal star to award | OneFootball

Manchester United captain has been impressed with the Arsenal star

Bruno Fernandes believes Declan Rice would have been a "perfect fit" for Manchester United as he reacted to beating the Arsenal midfielder to the Football Writers' Association player of the season award.

The pair were the two leading contenders for the FWA's individual crown and it was Fernandes who came out top, taking 45% of the votes.

Rice and Fernandes trained together in the summer of 2023 in Portugal before the start of the season and have stayed in touch since.

Later that summer, Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham for £105million in a move that left Fernandes frustrated.

"I admire him a lot first of all as a person, because I knew him from the Algarve when we were training together," Fernandes said in an interview with Joel Beya.

"I knew him already from West Ham and we knew the qualities that he had.

"I've always said that Rice was a player to play for Manchester United and I was really sad when he chose to go to Arsenal.

"I didn't know if there was the opportunity or the chance for him to come to Manchester United but I always thought that he would be a perfect fit for our club.

"Not just for the player he is but the person he is, the professional he is. He showed me that. And for his personality."

Declan Rice gets away from Bruno Fernandes

Getty

While Rice is chasing major silverware, Fernandes is closing in on making individual history.

He has 19 Premier League assists to his name this season, leaving him one short of the record jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Fernandes has matches against Nottingham Forest and Burnley left to try and break that benchmark.

That tally of assists led to Fernandes claiming the FWA award, despite the fact eight of the last ten winners of it have played for the team who won the Premier League title that year.

Rice led a strong contingent of Arsenal candidates, which also included Gabriel and David Raya.

Fernandes insisted Rice would have been a worthy winner but suggested his deeper position in midfield made it more difficult for him to catch the eye in the same way.

"What he's been doing this season is great," Fernandes said.

"It's a different position, he's a player that doesn't need to get to assist as much, he doesn't need to score as much. It demands different things from him.

"The way Arsenal play is different to the way we play, so we can't compare the players. But what we can say is that he's been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season.

It's a different position, he's a player that doesn't need to get to assist as much, he doesn't need to score as much

Bruno Fernandes on Declan Rice

"I'm very happy that I won it but if Declan had won this award, it was well deserved too. In a season where you have to choose between players, then obviously numbers make a lot of weight in the decisions.

"I had a brilliant season and I could add that to my game. Obviously for Dec it's more difficult for him to get that because he plays a little bit deeper.

"Still I think he's an amazing player. If he had got this award I would have messaged him and said congratulations as I did when he got into the final of the Champions League."