Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw have won the Professional Footballers' Association men's and women's player of the year awards. Fernandes, who broke the Premier League assist record with 21 last season, is the first United player to win since Wayne Rooney in 2010. It is a second win in three seasons for Shaw, who secured her third consecutive Women's Super League golden boot with 21 goals as City were crowned champions.

City defender Nico O'Reilly succeeds Morgan Rogers as men's young player of the year. The versatile 21-year-old contributed eight goal involvements and nine clean sheets in 34 league outings, scoring twice and was named player of the match as City beat Arsenal in the League Cup final. Arsenal's Olivia Smith retained her crown as women's young player of the year, becoming only the second player after England international Lauren Hemp to win the award multiple times. The Canada international, 22, scored 10 goals after joining the Gunners for £1m from Liverpool.

Individual success for record-breaker Fernandes continued despite another trophy-less campaign for Man United. He finished 2025-26 with nine goals and 21 assists in 35 league outings, surpassing Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry's record. In total, the 31-year-old scored nine goals and contributed 22 assists in 37 matches. Fernandes beat Arsenal trio Gabriel Magalhaes, David Raya, and Declan Rice and Man City attackers Cherki and Erling Haaland to the award.

Shaw scored 21 goals in 22 appearances as City clinched the WSL title, registering hat-tricks against Aston Villa and Tottenham. She is the first player to score 20 or more goals in three different WSL seasons and move clear of two-time winners Vivienne Miedema and Sam Kerr. The 29-year-old is the first player to win three PFA women's player of the year awards, joining Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby.