Bruno Fernandes wins Premier League top player honour after record assist haul

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) - Bruno Fernandes, the Manchester United midfielder, was confirmed on Saturday as the Premier League Player of the Season.

The 31-year-old United captain has delivered 20 assists in league play this campaign, putting him level with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne for the best single-season total in Premier League history. He has added eight league goals for Michael Carrick's side, who sit third and have booked their place in next season's Champions League.

Fernandes becomes the first Manchester United player to collect the honour since Nemanja Vidic won it for the 2010-11 season. He finished ahead of a shortlist that featured Arsenal's David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice, Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, Brentford's Igor Thiago, and Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White.

The award follows another major individual prize for Fernandes, who had already been chosen as the Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year for this season.

Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly was named Premier League Young Player of the Season. The 21-year-old became a regular option at left-back for City, was also used in midfield, and ended with five goals and three assists.

O'Reilly scored twice in City's League Cup final victory over Arsenal in March and was in the starting team when City beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. The other Young Player nominees were City's Rayan Cherki, West Ham's Mateus Fernandes, Newcastle's Lewis Hall, Brentford's Michael Kayode, United's Kobbie Mainoo, and Bournemouth pair Alex Scott and Eli Junior Kroupi.