The race for the Premier League Player of the Year award appears, at first glance, to be heading in a predictable direction. Arsenal are marching towards the title and, naturally, their standout performers dominate the betting markets.

Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes are widely expected to top the ballot after playing pivotal roles in Arsenal’s title charge. And make no mistake: both have been exceptional.

But if the award truly recognises the best player in England this season, there should only be one winner.

The Manchester United captain has produced a campaign of staggering individual brilliance. One that, by the numbers and by the eye test, eclipses anything his rivals have managed.

Fernandes, now 31, moved to 16 league assists for the season with his double against Aston Villa. That took him to a century of assists since arriving at Old Trafford, breaking the club record previously held by David Beckham.

And he’s not finished yet.

The all-time Premier League assist record for a single season, jointly held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne with 20, is suddenly within reach.

Add Fernandes’ seven league goals, and he has been directly involved in 23 goals that have earned United a remarkable 26 points this season. To put that into perspective, that’s half of United’s current points tally.

Even more astonishing is the company he now keeps.

Those 26 points match the exact total United secured under Cristiano Ronaldo during his iconic 2008/09 campaign, the season in which Ronaldo lifted the Ballon d’Or before departing for Real Madrid.

Fernandes has achieved the same impact. And he still has eight games left to play.

Of course, the counter-argument is obvious. Rice and Gabriel are likely to end the season as champions with Arsenal. History suggests that matters. The last five POTY winners have all lifted the title in the same season.

But this award is not, and should never become a team trophy.

Scott Parker won the honour despite West Ham being relegated in 2011. Individual greatness was recognised then. It should be recognised now.

Because no player in the league has been more important to his side than Fernandes.

Without him, United could easily have been dragged into the same relegation battle Tottenham are trapped in, during the ill-fated tenure of Ruben Amorim.

Instead, Fernandes has almost single-handedly driven United into the top three.

Arsenal, by contrast, are not reliant on one superstar. Their strength lies in depth. Replace Gabriel with players such as Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquera or Riccardo Calafiori and they would likely still challenge for the title. The same argument could be made if a fit Mikel Merino filled Rice’s role.

Take Fernandes out of United’s side, however, and the drop-off is dramatic. Since his arrival in January 2020, United’s league win rate without him has fallen from 50 % to just 33.3 %.

That tells the story better than any narrative ever could.

For years, De Bruyne set the benchmark as the Premier League’s supreme creator. This season, Fernandes has seized that crown.

And if POTY truly honours the best footballer in England, there should be no debate.

The award belongs to Bruno Fernandes.