Bruno Fernandes said he would have swapped his PFA Player of the Year award for a team trophy with Manchester United, replying "Quite obvious, everyone would say the same. We don't play tennis" when asked on stage at the ceremony in Manchester on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder was voted the award by his fellow professionals, beating Arsenal's Declan Rice. His recognition came after a season in which he broke the Premier League assist record, surpassing the 20-assist tallies previously set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
A season of records and a third-place finish
Fernandes's contributions helped drag United out of trouble following the departure of Ruben Amorim and into a third-place finish, which secured Champions League qualification. Despite that league campaign, United endured a difficult run in cup competitions.
Having missed out on Europe the season prior, United lost their first League Cup game to Grimsby Town and were beaten by Brighton in the FA Cup third round. In total, United played just 40 matches across the entire campaign.
Proud of the recognition
Fernandes said of the award: "Winning this, being voted by the ones that every week go out on the pitch against me, is something that makes me very proud. Because they've been there, they're playing against me, they've seen what I'm capable of doing, and for them to vote for me is something I'm very grateful for. It's always nice to see the name of the club in these kinds of awards, and obviously the players stand out with the club behind them. That's very important for us."
Attention now turns to securing United's first Premier League win of the season this weekend. Michael Carrick's side lost 2-0 to newly-promoted Hull City on the opening day. United then host Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, followed by a trip to Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and a home match against Manchester City in mid-September.
