By Bonface Mulyungi

Bruno Fernandes has been named the Premier League Player of the Season following his stellar year with Manchester United – which has seen post the most assists in a campaign – joint with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.

Fernandes was also named the Football Writers’ Association’s men’s Footballer of the Year – the first Man Utd player to win the men’s FWA award since Wayne Rooney back in 2010.

The Portuguese has scored eight goals and set up a further 20 with his creativity coming to the fore. He leads a number of metrics in the final third as the playmaker continues to shine for the Red Devils.

He has been crucial to their revival since January, proving integral as the team rise up to third to secure a Champions League spot. Fernandes’ 20th assist of the campaign set-up Bryan Mbeumo in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest last week and put him in some stellar company alongside De Bruyne and former Arsenal striker Henry.

Across the course of the season Fernandes has created 132 chances this season, the most in the Premier League and a mammoth 43 more than the next-best, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Red Devils star has emulated and now surpass David Beckham as United’s top creator. He had held the previous record for the most assists by a Manchester player in a single Premier League season, that being his haul of 15 in the 1999/2000 campaign.

Fernandes will be among the favourites to win the PFA Player of the Year award, which would complete a sensational year on an individual level. The United star will likely face competition from Arsenal duo Gabriel and Declan Rice. No United player has won the PFA award since Wayne Rooney back in 2010.

Despite his stellar efforts Fernandes recently told Sky Sports that his achievements will be judged by what the team does. “I haven’t achieved everything I wanted,” he said. I’ve never hidden that I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League with the club. I might do it, I might not. But until I get the chance or until I’m here to do that, I’m going to try.

“Is it going to be difficult? Yes. You have top clubs in the league that have been winning the league for so many years and being consistently there and we’re not.”