If a football fan is to claim that Bruno Fernandes is the best player in the Premier League this season, then that reaction to that would certainly be one that's filled with mockery and disbelief by most of them. At the moment, the most popular answers to who is the best player this season would probably be one of Declan Rice, Gabriel, or Erling Haaland. These stars currently play for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, who are the 2 English currently in a title race. Some football fans and analysts might even suggest Brentford striker Thiago as the best Premier League's best player so far, as scoring 18 goals in a Brentford side is nothing less than phenomenal.
So why do we consider Bruno Fernandes as the best player in the Premier League so far when there are other players out doing such a fine job? A look at his stats this season and the circumstances under which he has achieved those numbers is sure to shock you. Let us look at the performance of Bruno Fernandes this season for Manchester United.
Bruno Fernandes for Manchester United this season: 2 different roles under Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick respectively
When Ruben Amorim became Manchester United's new manager, one of the biggest tactical tweaks he did was convert Bruno Fernandes from a no. 10 attacking midfielder to a no. 8 central midfielder who had to play in a deeper position which required more defensive responsibilities and lots of running. The reaction to this position change by fans and pundits was largely negative, but Amorim decided to be stubborn and kept playing Bruno in that position till the end of his time at Old Trafford. Many felt that the position change wasted the ability of Bruno to bring out his creative best in games, and United's midfield as a whole wasn't performing well and struggled in numerous games with Bruno as no. 8.
It was only after Ruben Amorim was sacked and Michael Carrick came in as Manchester United's caretaker manager that Fernandes was put back to his preferred no. 10 area. The decision paid off massively, as United went on to have a short Winning streak and were playing brilliantly under Carrick. Bruno Fernandes, in particular, has arguably been the star player of the Carrick era so far.
What's special about Bruno Fernandes this season is that he was the no. 8 under Amorim (where he played the majority of the season), or the 10 under Carrick, the common thing in both cases is that he has been Manchester United's best player for both managers this season by a large extent, in games where they were both struggling and also performing brilliantly.
The astonishing stats of Bruno Fernandes this season at Manchester United
We have explained above the circumstances under which Bruno Fernandes has performed this season. The real shocker are the numbers that he has put up, especially when you consider he's played the majority of the season in a midfield role which requires a lot of defensive work. Bruno Fernandes has scored 7 goals and provided 14 assists this season in 26 games. Only Erling Haaland boasts more goal involvements with 29 (22 goals and 7 assists), just 8 more than Fernandes despite playing as a striker for Manchester City with world-class midfielders to support him.
The next best central midfielder who has the most goal involvements in the league is Bruno Guimarães with 13 (9 goals and 4 assists), which in its entirety is lesser than just the assists made by Fernandes this season. If we look at the circumstances under which Manchester United's captain has achieved these numbers, then it's difficult to argue why he shouldn't be your Premier League player of the season.
Arsenal or Manchester City will end up lifting the Premier League, and one of their players is most likely to earn the Premier League player of the season award in the world end. However, we feel that history will look back at Bruno Fernandes' current season with Manchester United as one of the very best by a central midfielder in the league.
