Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes pips Declan Rice to FWA Men’s Footballer of the Year award

Fernandes secured 45 per cent of the votes from the English football writers, edging out Rice by a narrow margin of 28 votes.

Manchester City striker and last years winner Erling Haaland finished in third place, with Arsenals David Raya, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Magalhaes also picking up substantial support.

This marks the first time a United player has lifted the esteemed FWA honour since Wayne Rooney in 2010.

As captain of the Red Devils, he has netted eight goals and set up 20 more in 34 outings across every competition, proving vital to the teams progress under temporary boss Michael Carrick.

This term, Fernandes has notched 19 assists in the Premier League, only one away from matching the benchmark held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Opta data shows the Portugal international has generated 120 opportunities this season, surpassing any previous figure in his time at United.

Even though the Red Devils look likely to end the campaign trophyless once more, they are still targeting a third spot in the Premier League table along with a spot in the Champions League.