'Arsenal would have won the league ALREADY with Fernandes' 🏆 Is Bruno better than Rice? | ESPN FC

0:00 Bruno Fernandez has been named the football

0:02 writer association's footballer of the year

0:05 ahead of Declan Rice and Erling Harland who are second and third respectively.

0:09 Bruno Fernandez receiving 45% of the votes.

0:14 Bruno Fernandez the winner here.

0:15 Frank Lebuff joining us.

0:17 What's your reaction?

0:17 Where did

0:17 he pop up from?

0:18 Here he is.

0:20 Reaction to Bruno getting this splitting hairs.

0:24 Aren't we really?

0:25 You know different players.

0:27 Rice playing in a better team going probably going to win the league.

0:31 Uh good player slightly tailed off recently I think

0:33 with some of his performances along with his other teammates.

0:36 But Fernandez in a poorer side particularly a struggling

0:39 one under Ruben Amarim that had no direction.

0:42 He was a uh a shining light for them and he's even more so

0:46 since Carrick got the job and he's pushed him into his more natural position.

0:49 Assists, goals, you know, everything.

0:52 So yeah, I haven't I haven't got an issue with it.

0:55 Uh, I think he's been brilliant for Man United.

0:57 That goes without saying.

0:58 So, so yeah, I don't think there's enough Arsenal players.

1:01 The Sakas had an injury ravaged second half of the season.

1:04 I think Rice has been their best player.

1:06 Maybe you could look at one of the center backs,

1:08 but I don't have an issue with with uh Bruno Fernandez winning it.

1:12 Really, you know, I think Frank does have an issue with this.

1:16 Is that right, Frank?

1:19 Well, I always have an issue with individual awards first, but um yeah,

1:23 I think we are talking about consistency and uh clearly when

1:27 I see and I compare Declan Rice season with Bruno Fernandez season.

1:32 Yes, Bruno Fernandez has an excuse having a a coach

1:35 who didn't put him in the right position.

1:37 But still, you have to judge and uh and and try to find who was the best.

1:43 And really Declan Rice had a full very good season

1:48 where Bruno Fernandez had a so season beginning of the season

1:52 there has been very good under Michael Carrick and I

1:55 agree with that and I agree with with Craig.

1:58 I don't really have a real issue with that.

2:00 I think it's unfair towards Declan Rice and the season that he

2:04 had uh because I think he was better than anybody else,

2:07 more consistent than anybody else.

2:09 Well, I do before Shaq pipes in, I do

2:12 think Bruno Fernandez was pretty consistent under Ruben Amarim.

2:17 It was just the rest, you know, that's not something.

2:20 And he was playing a little deeper, but he still was contributing.

2:24 Uh but I think the rest of that package

2:26 under Ribbon Amarim was was just not very

2:28 good but he was and the you know you

2:33 can't and everybody has their own opinion and that's

2:35 and and I'm fine with that but just because

2:38 you play for the best team doesn't make you

2:40 the best candidate and Arsenal so thus far and certainly

2:43 Arsenal and Man City are the two best sides.

2:46 Uh but that doesn't and cannot take away

2:48 from what in fact in some sense you might it

2:52 might push you further towards it when you think

2:54 well how's he managed to do that in this team

2:57 particularly the team when it was Ruben Amarim's side but yet he still

3:02 managed to have this huge influence even if United were poor at times that's

3:09 not something he can really control to a certain extent so I

3:13 for for that reason I don't have an issue because Arsenal have a better package.

3:17 Uh and and to take nothing away from Declan Rice, uh you know,

3:21 if you'd said to me Declan Rice was PFA player of the year,

3:24 I'd have been I'd have been okay with that.

3:25 I think there is something in that Shaka

3:27 that you can look and that as Craig said,

3:28 he's been a shining light in what's been an awkward period and that even sets

3:32 him apart given the fact that he could

3:34 be so consistent when things have gone wrong.

3:35 I I I agree in that there's no argument that Bruno Fernandez

3:38 has been an outstanding player

3:40 and but for his performances with Manchester United,

3:42 who knows what we what we'd be discussing about with their season,

3:47 but I I just feel inevitably even though we're talking about individual awards,

3:51 you look at the the most successful teams in a campaign,

3:55 um their most important players in in in in those successes.

3:59 Now, while you could make the argument for Bruno Fernandez and um

4:03 how he's led the line for Manchester United and the example he's been,

4:06 Manchester United have played 40 games this season.

4:08 Arsenal are on track to play 60.

4:10 You I could have four maybe five Arsenal players

4:13 ahead of Bruno Fernandez in in in that regard.

4:16 Now, because you have that amount of players,

4:18 that amount of good players performing at a high

4:21 level for Arsenal is why you see them as favorites

4:23 to to to win the Premier League is why

4:25 you see them in in in the Champions League final.

4:28 Now that again is not taking away from Bruno Fernandez,

4:31 his importance to Manchester United and again what it means.

4:34 But I I feel you start by looking at teams who've been successful.

4:39 Nobody's going to sit here.

4:40 That's team shack.

4:41 Yeah.

4:41 But if you put Bruno Fernandez in that Arsenal team, right?

4:45 If you put Bruno Fernandez in that Arsenal team,

4:47 they would have already won the league.

4:49 And that's a hypothetical.

4:50 That's like me.

4:51 He's better than anything they've got.

4:53 He's better than he's better than I I Go ahead, Frank.

4:58 Craig, what how do you know how do how

5:03 would you judge Arsenal without Declan Rice this season?

5:06 Without Declan Rice, maybe Arsenal wouldn't be the best team.

5:09 And it's because they have Declan Rice that they've been at the top.

5:12 And it's why they're at the top because they have a better package.

5:15 They have arguably the one of the biggest squads in Europe.

5:19 That's why they are at the top.

5:21 But at the same time, but that's strong.

5:25 Go ahead.

5:25 Go ahead.

5:26 At the same time, you put Erling Harland in either of those teams,

5:29 and I think they're even more improved than

5:32 if you put Bruno Fernandez in in that team.

5:34 So, if that's the if that's the the the the measure,

5:39 Erling Harland deserves to win it because he improves any team

5:42 he gets into far more far more than putting Bruno Fernandez in.

5:46 I think Bruno Fernandez has been more consistent.

5:48 Right.

5:48 Bruno Fernandez has been involved in more goals in the Premier

5:51 League than anyone else in the Premier League since mid January.

5:54 to to to your point, you put Erling Harland in in that Arsenal team,

5:59 that title is is a is already won.

6:02 I agree.

6:02 No, no question about that.

6:04 And and and so if that's the measure, then it's Erling Harland.

6:07 But regardless of how you spin this in in my mind, again,

6:11 not taking away anything from Bruno Fernandez,

6:14 his importance and his performances since mid January.

6:17 Um, but I I don't see how you

6:21 make him Football Writers Association player of the year.

6:24 Now, I'm I'm with Frank in that a lot of these individual awards just make no

6:29 sense to me to start with, but and this just leans into that for all the reasons

6:34 we are.

6:35 I mean, we we are splitting hairs because if we if

6:37 I had to come into and and I'll be honest with you,

6:42 I really couldn't give a stop.

6:43 Nobody's No, nobody's losing sleep.

6:45 I get it.

6:45 Nobody's I did win, but I'm not losing anything.

6:49 I'm talking I'm talking to somebody who won.

6:51 I'm talkingers.

6:52 I'm talking to somebody who won

6:53 the Scottish football writers player of the year.

6:56 That year it WAS VERY IMPORTANT.

6:59 1998 by the way.

7:02 9798.

7:03 Look it up.

7:03 That was the only year it was important.

7:05 Paul Gascoin, Ryan Lra, Henry Larson.

7:10 But we are splitting hairs because if I

7:12 had to come in today and and and somebody said Ellen Harland's won it and I went

7:17 yeah okay maybe a smaller argument or Declan

7:20 Rice has won it but you know Bruno Fernandez and I'm not always a huge fan

7:25 of his the way he goes on but but yeah I I I don't know right

7:30 now it seems to be that Craig you are going into Bruno Fernandez

7:34 because you give him an excuse because he was playing for bad Manchester

7:37 United at the time because they were they were under Amarine that you

7:41 think that he was good enough for him to get an excuse and say,

7:46 "Okay, we can give it to him because the the rest of the team wasn't that good.

7:49 The coach wasn't good, so let's give it to Bruno Fernandez." I mean,

7:53 that's not for me a question of how you handle playing around

8:00 the other players is I want to see what you bring to the team.

8:04 And I'm sorry he wasn't able to make it to make the team better when

8:08 obviously for me Dick and Ras were the X factor for the results of Arsenal.

8:15 Even if the others they were playing well Dick and Rice was in the middle of it

8:19 proving that he was right buying from Arsenal

8:23 some years ago because the guy makes the difference.

8:28 I Yeah, I mean I mean I'm I'm okay.

8:29 Listen listen you guys don't lose any sleep.

8:32 Whatever you do, don't lose any sleep tonight over this.

8:34 No, I'm I'm Don't be upseting and training all night.

8:37 I'm perturbed.

8:39 I'm perturbed at the verbal assault that's come my way.

8:43 I feel hurt.

8:44 I'm okay with Yeah.

8:45 Congrat.

8:46 Congratulations, Bruno.

8:48 Yeah.

8:48 Just because Frank and Shaka don't like him.

8:53 Yeah.

8:52 I can't I can't do that.

8:54 Yeah.

8:54 So, Manchester United fans, turn your vitrial this way.

8:58 This way.