Bruno Fernandes has won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award for the fifth time with Manchester United, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and David De Gea, who have won the award four times.
The 31-year-old, who was named The Players’ Player of the Year, has had an excellent individual season at Old Trafford and his status as United’s talisman is beyond doubt.
In another world, he might have been chasing Saudi riches last summer amid growing interest from Al Hilal, but thankfully the captain is front and center once again, becoming the standard-bearer for Michael Carrick’s resurgent side.
At a time when the number of truly successful Manchester players could be counted on one hand, Fernandes bucked that trend and paved the way for another tumultuous summer for the club and INEOS.
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This week, The Athletic’s Rory Whitwell revealed that Carrick is set to be offered a two-year deal, backed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and things appear to be coming together at Old Trafford.
The Englishman, who was appointed on an interim basis in January, led United to comfortably qualify for the Champions League and are now all but assured of a third-place finish, a significant improvement on last season’s worst season in Premier League history.
Securing Carrick’s future could also help start the transfer process, with the 44-year-old potentially having a key say in summer activities.
Indeed, as journalist Ben Jacobs revealed in an interview on United Stand, Morgan Rodgers’ move at Aston Villa has been “one to watch” following Carrick’s appointment.
As Jacobs pointed out, Carrick “loves” Rodgers after their time together at Middlesbrough, but his impending arrival would “increase the likelihood” that a move would be considered “more seriously”.
The only big question is likely to be the asking price, with Jacobs adding that Villa are likely to ask for at least £80m.
Why Rodgers could be Manchester United’s best player since Fernandes
Since Fernandes arrived in January 2020, there have been many signings and very few success stories.
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Many of their additions have not lived up to expectations.
It’s probably too early to judge 2025’s yield, but given his impact this season, Casemiro is probably the most fruitful signing of the past six years, although his £70m transfer fee remains a moot point.
Not many players have managed to get an immediate start and maintain it like Fernandes, but Rodgers could well buck that trend as he was a talismanic right-back at Villa Park.
The England international, who is only 23 years old, has scored 22 goals and provided assists in all competitions so far, making him an integral part of his team’s bid to break into the top five and reach this season’s Europa League final.
This contributes to 30 goals across the 2024/25 season, with Rodgers reaching double figures for both goals and assists in each of the last two seasons.
Like Fernandes at the time, he was also a creator and goalscorer in his own right, memorably scoring twice with almost identical goals as his team beat United 2-1 in December.
Operating as a number 10 or on the left, this powerfully talented player is very difficult to contain and is often seen pushing Unai Emery’s side forward in the final third.
For example, in this season’s Premier League alone, he has scored 14 goals and provided assists, while also creating 11 “big chances”, which is definitely the most of any Villa player.
Rodgers, who is top of the league in assists and second in goals at Villa Park, is just as important to everything good about Emery’s side as Fernandes is back at Old Trafford.
The winner of last season’s PFA Young Player of the Year award is currently “one of the best players in England”, in the opinion of former teammate Nicolo Zaniolo, and is on his way to becoming “possibly one of the best players in the world”.
Hopefully that development continues if he ends up moving to Manchester, which could allow United to restart in earnest in the 2026/27 season.
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