Fernandes and Shaw Recognised
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw have been named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s men’s and women’s Player of the Year, respectively. Both players had previously received the Football Writers’ Association’s men’s and women’s Footballer of the Year awards for the 2025-26 season. Fernandes is the first United player to win the PFA award since Wayne Rooney in 2010.
For Shaw, this marks her second win in three seasons. She secured her third consecutive Women’s Super League golden boot, scoring 21 goals as Manchester City were crowned champions. Fernandes, meanwhile, broke the record for the most assists in a single Premier League campaign with 21.
Young Player Awards and Team of the Year Selections
Manchester City defender Nico O’Reilly was named men’s Young Player of the Year, succeeding Morgan Rogers. The 21-year-old contributed eight goal involvements, including five goals, and was part of nine clean sheets in 34 league outings. O’Reilly also scored twice and was named player of the match when City defeated Arsenal in the League Cup final. He made 53 appearances across all competitions and represented England at the 2026 World Cup finals. O’Reilly had also been voted the Premier League Young Player of the Season and Manchester City Player of the Season for 2025/26.
Arsenal’s Olivia Smith retained her title as the women’s Young Player of the Year, becoming only the second player, after England international Lauren Hemp, to win the award multiple times. The Canada international, 22, scored 10 goals in all competitions after joining Arsenal from Liverpool for £1m last summer. Smith scored 10 goals across 38 matches in all competitions in 2025/26.
The Premier League Team of the Year, determined by player votes, was largely composed of players from champions Arsenal and runners-up Manchester City. Arsenal, who conceded only 27 goals last season, had David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice selected. Manchester City had four representatives: O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland, and Antoine Semenyo. Manchester United’s Fernandes and Igor Thiago of Brentford completed the men’s XI.
The WSL Team of the Year included three players each from champions Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Manchester United’s Jess Park and Tottenham defender Toko Koga were the only players selected from outside the top three clubs.
Individual Achievements
Despite a season without trophies for Manchester United, Fernandes achieved significant individual success. He surpassed the previous Premier League assist record of 20, held by Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry. Fernandes concluded the 2025-26 season with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 league appearances. His contributions helped United secure a third-place finish and qualification for the Champions League. In total, the 31-year-old scored nine goals and provided 22 assists in 37 matches across all competitions. He joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020. Fernandes was chosen over Arsenal players Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya, and Declan Rice, as well as Manchester City attackers Cherki and Erling Haaland. He is the second Portuguese player to win the award, following Cristiano Ronaldo’s consecutive wins in 2007 and 2008.
Shaw’s impressive season saw her score 21 goals in 22 appearances as Manchester City claimed their second WSL title. The Jamaica international recorded hat-tricks against Aston Villa, scoring four goals in one match, and against Tottenham. She also scored twice against West Ham on the final day of the season, becoming the first player to score 20 or more goals in three different WSL seasons. Shaw is the first player to win three WSL golden boots, surpassing Vivienne Miedema and Sam Kerr, who each have two. The 29-year-old also scored an additional five goals, including the opener in the final, as Manchester City won the FA Cup. Shaw is the third individual to win multiple PFA women’s Player of the Year awards, joining Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby. She previously achieved the PFA and FWA double after the 2023-24 campaign. Her teammates Yui Hasegawa, Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson, Chelsea’s Lauren James, Manchester United’s Jess Park, and Arsenal’s Alessia Russo were also shortlisted for the award.
Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo, who joined from Bournemouth in January, scored 21 goals from 48 appearances and provided six assists. He scored the winning goal in the 2026 FA Cup final against Chelsea. Rayan Cherki, who joined City from Lyon in June 2025, also had a notable season, providing an assist for Phil Foden in a 3-0 home win over Sunderland and scoring against Arsenal in a 2-1 victory. Erling Haaland was included in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the third time, having also been selected in 2022/23 and 2023/24. He scored 38 club goals, including 27 in the Premier League, to claim a third Golden Boot award. City’s Director of Football, Hugo Viana, expressed pride in the four players being named in the team.
Arsenal’s Alessia Russo was a nominee for the women’s Player of the Year award. She scored 24 goals in 40 matches across all competitions in the 2025/26 season, including a hat-trick in the north London derby, which saw Arsenal beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 at Emirates Stadium. Max Dowman, at 16, received a nomination for the men’s Young Player of the Month award, having become the youngest player to start a match, score a goal, or win the title in the Premier League era. He was joined by Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki, Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United, Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha, and Eli Junior Kroupi, who scored for Bournemouth against Manchester City in a 1-1 draw that secured the league title.
Source: bbc.co.uk