Forget Rice: Gary Lineker says the PL Player of the Season is plying his trade at Old Trafford

Gary Lineker believes Bruno Fernandes is the Premier League Player of the Season thus far.Although the pundit concedes that it’s unlikely Manchester United’s captain will actually secure the award due to the club’s lack of silverware this campaign, Lineker thinks Fernandes is the most deserving – and it’s a sentiment that the Old Trafford faithful will fully vouch for.How Fernandes is faring this term(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)As things stand in the top flight, the Portugal star ranks atop the table for chances created by some distance; he has created 84 chances in total throughout 2025/2026, while Declan Rice, who’s in second place, has created only 53. Bruno Fernandes is WAY out in front when it comes to creating chances this season 👟 🔴 @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/xOPIBLeOcm — Premier League (@premierleague) March 2, 2026StatmanDave adds that Fernandes has also recorded 10 more chances than any player across Europe’s top five leagues. Bruno Fernandes has created 84 chances in the Premier League this season. That’s 31 more than any other PL player and 10 more than any other player across Europe’s top five leagues. Far and away the best creator in the world. 💫 pic.twitter.com/V1jAAU1vmI — Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 3, 2026In regard to his goal contributions, he is once again United’s most dependable and influential man, as has been the case since he first arrived at the club five years ago. Fernandes has been able to take something of a backseat in goalscoring, thanks to the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, but it hasn’t stopped him from finding the back of the net seven times in his 25 appearances.To nobody’s surprise, he has returned the most assists of any player in the division with 13 to his name – six more than second-placed Rayan Cherki.The 31-year-old added one of each to his tally at the weekend when he converted a spot-kick to equalise against Crystal Palace before delivering a tremendous ball into Sesko for the winner.What Lineker had to say about Fernandes(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)When reacting to the clash on The Rest Is Football, Lineker said of the Red Devils talisman: “He’s everywhere. You see him on the right wing, you see him on the left wing. What a brain.“I think he’s the Player of the Season for me. I mean, I know they’ll probably give it to someone who’s going to win something. I think, for me, it’s probably him or Declan Rice if Arsenal go on and manage to clinch the title. I suppose the only other one, if he came back and started banging in all the goals and won [Manchester] City the title, it might be [Erling] Haaland again.“But at the moment, for me, to do what he’s done this season… and he was still a standout player even when they were going through a rotten spell, when they were really struggling under [Ruben] Amorim. I think he’s got such a great footballing brain and technique. What a player.”