Piers Morgan makes feelings clear as Bruno Fernandes beats Declan Rice to individual award

Piers Morgan has taken aim at the "ridiculous" decision to give Bruno Fernandes the Football Writers' Assocation Player of the Year award ahead of Declan Rice . The Portuguese star was rewarded for what has been arguably his most creative season since moving to Manchester United . He tops a number of metrics, including assists, as he continues to supply his team-mates on a regular basis. Fernandes' efforts came despite his United side struggling massively for the first half of the season, but since Michael Carrick came in the team's results have improved massively. As a result he's scooped the individual gong, becoming the first United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney in 2010, ahead of Arsenal talisman Rice. The midfielder could yet finish the season as a Premier League and Champions League winner. He's more than justified the club-record fee paid by the Gunners in 2023 and this year has enjoyed one of his best years, spearheading the team's ambitions, and Morgan felt he was a shoo-in for the award. The broadcaster, himself an avid Arsenal fan, took to social media to lament the award going to Fernandes. He then quoted a tweet from another journalist, who felt Rice was far more deserving of the accolade than Fernandes, and said: "Exactly. It’s a farce." It was pointed out that Rice had won more games, 35, than Fernandes had even played in, 34. The England star is a pillar of the Arsenal midfield and has stepped up in recent weeks to ease concerns that the Gunners were facing a late season collapse. They currently enjoy a five point lead at the top of the table. Fernandes' efforts have United sat in third, which will see them back in the Champions League. The Portuguese star is the ninth United star to claim the award, following on from the likes of Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Cristiano Ronaldo . Michael Carrick said on his playmaker: “With an award like this that’s judged over such a long period of time, I think whoever gets it is fully deserving of it, and I think Bruno, this season that he's had, and certainly since I've been here, how he's performed and the impact that he's had on the group, has been fantastic. So yeah, fully deserved and delighted that he's got an award like that and he’s one of ours." Join our new WhatsApp community! Click this link to receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .