Bruno Fernandes is Dominating the Premier League in 2025/26

Erling Haaland is having another one of those seasons. Everything he touches appears to turn to goals, with the big Norwegian already on 17 for the season in the Premier League.

His next closest challenger for the Golden Boot is six goals shy – Brentford’s Igor Thiago has 11 to his name – with everyone else at least ten goals behind Haaland‘s goalscoring pace.

If he continues at the same pace he will not only win the Golden Boot, but would be in the shake-up to be named Player of the Season too. Manchester City sit second in the Premier League standings, just two points behind leaders Arsenal and it is players from those two clubs who are being spoken about as having the best campaigns so far.

Who Are Contenders for Player of the Season?

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have been spoken about a lot as potential player of the season contenders, with Phil Foden producing some sparkling performances of late to be in the mix too.

But there is one player you might not think of when it comes to the discussion because it might be going a little bit unnoticed.

Bruno Fernandes is not a player you can say that flies under the radar, given his profile and his penchant for theatrics, but he is quietly having an excellent season for Manchester United.

Fernandes scored a beauty of a free-kick in the thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth on Monday night, grabbing an assist too. Given United’s position in the league – sixth – you would not necessarily look to any of their players to be at the top of any best player lists.

Fernandes is at the very top of one though.

Bruno Fernandes Is Proving to be a Premier League Star

FotMob do rankings for every player in every Premier League game in the season and the Portuguese is currently the highest-rated player on there for 2025/26.

Fernandes has an average rating of 7.98 for the season so far, outscoring Haaland who is second with a rating of 7.92.

According to the FotMob ratings, Fernandes has picked up six player of the match awards this season, Haaland having had seven, but with a better average score from those matches.

Haaland is obviously well known for his goalscoring heroics, whereas Fernandes does a lot more work in other areas of the pitch as well as chipping in with goals and assists.

When you look at the assists table for the Premier League this season, it’s clear to see why Fernandes has been getting high scores.

His goal against the Cherries was his fifth in the league this season – putting him in the top ten for goalscorers – while he has a whopping seven assists to his name – more than any other player.

He could even have had more goals to his name this season, jhaving hit the woodwork four times – also more than any other player in the division.

There is rarely anything quiet about Fernandes, but hs is having a great season and with Bryan Mbeumo heading off to the African Cup of Nations, there will be even more pressure placed on his shoulders to carry Ruben Amorim’s United team.

Could Bruno Fernandes Leave Manchester United in January?

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Whether he remains a United player for the entirety of the season, however, is another matter.

He said earlier this week: “There comes a point where, for them, money is more important than anything. The club wanted me to go, I have that in my head. I told the directors this, but I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision.

“I decided to stay, also because of family reasons, but because I genuinely like the club. The conversation with the manager also made me stay.

“But, from the club’s side, I felt a bit like, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us.’ It hurts me a lot. More than hurting, it makes me sad because I’m a player they have nothing to criticise about.”

GIVEMESPORT correspondent Ben Jacobs does not expect any movement in January, but believes there will be transfer chatted next summer.

He said: “Saudi will be back for Fernandes if given any encouragement, but I am not expecting too much movement until after the World Cup. By that time, Fernandes will have not only spoken further to Manchester United about his future, but he’ll also understand whether the club have got Champions League football and how the midfield revamp will affect his role and minutes going forward. All of these factors are going to be parts of the puzzle as Fernandes decides what he wants to do next.”