Bruno Fernandes has revealed that he voted for an Arsenal rival to win the PFA Men's Player of the Year award before claiming the prize himself.
The Manchester United captain was recognised by his fellow professionals following an outstanding 2025-26 campaign in which he registered a record-breaking 21 Premier League assists.
Fernandes' creativity helped Michael Carrick's side finish third and secure a return to the Champions League.
The 31-year-old attended Tuesday's ceremony with his wife, Ana Pinho, and discussed his ballot on the red carpet.
Nominees cannot vote for themselves, forcing Fernandes to choose a rival.
He refused to name his choice but confirmed voting for an Arsenal player.
"I won't say who it was but I voted for some Arsenal player," Fernandes admitted.
"They were amazing; very strong, very difficult to play against. A team that was very successful, not just in the Premier League but also in European competition.
"Getting into that Champions League final was something that was amazing from them, keeping themselves in the competition until so late, it's something that they need to be proud of.
"And I think they deserve all the respect that all the Premier League has to give to them."
Despite his vote, Fernandes claimed the award after becoming one of the Premier League season's defining players.
"It was a special season, individually for me," Fernandes said.
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"And obviously, I'm very proud that all the ones that have decided to help me. I haven't thought about the (assists) record much until you guys started commenting so much.
"Obviously, then when you start getting closer, you start thinking about it and everything. But I think it got into more into my strikers and into myself."
Fernandes insisted his assist total was a reflection of United's collective improvement rather than simply a personal achievement.
"I'm very happy because assisting means that someone is getting goals, and mostly if I'm assisting, Manchester United is getting goals," he added.
"But obviously, we don't play tennis. We play for just ourselves. We play football. We play in a team. We play for a club. We play for our fans. And there's nothing more special than that.
"It's very good to have that responsibility because it's something nice. It's something you can enjoy.
"Obviously, you have to deal with it. It's not always easy, but I think it's better to have that pressure than none."
The ceremony offered Fernandes an opportunity to celebrate, but United's new season had started in miserable fashion three days earlier.
Carrick's team suffered a 2-0 defeat at newly promoted Hull City, leaving the captain frustrated by their opening performance.
"We're three points behind where we wanted to be at this moment," Fernandes acknowledged.
"We've got a game at home that we want to win, and this is the game. And try to get those points that we have ahead of us."
United return to Old Trafford on Sunday when they face Ipswich Town and attempt to secure their first points of the campaign, with that fixture due to take place at 4.30pm.
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