Manchester United had a very up-and-down 2023… with mostly downs towards the end.
Still, this calendar year can be put down as a successful one for the Red Devils. Erik ten Hag led Manchester United to the top four in the Premier League, an FA Cup Final and, most memorably, a Carabao Cup victory.
He couldn’t have done it without his first-team squad. The likes of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Alejandro Garnacho and co have all been superb.
But one stands out among the rest, regarding stats, as dubbed by Sofa Score as the ‘Player of the Year for 2023’.
Bruno Fernandes the Player of the Year 2023
According to Sofa Score, Bruno Fernandes was the best-rated Premier League player across the entirety of 2023.
The Portuguese Magnifico got a 7.66 average rating over the calendar year, which puts him above the likes of Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Son Heung-Min in the league this season.
This is very impressive, considering he featured in more than 70 games throughout 2023. He is the only player to have recorded more than 6000 minutes of action throughout the year.
He also created 133 chances, the most in the top flight by a country mile – with Bukayo Saka in second on 90.
He also became the first ever Manchester United player to create 100 chances from open play in a league calendar year since statistics were recorded, over the past two decades.
Sofa Score Premier League Team of 2023
Alongside Bruno, there were other ten men who joined him. He was the only Manchester United player involved.
- GK: Bernd Leno – Fulham
- RB: Kieran Trippier – Newcastle United
- CB: Ethan Pinnock – Brentford
- CB: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool
- LB: Pascal Groß – Brighton
- CDM: Rodri – Manchester City
- LM: Son Heung-Min – Tottenham Hotspur
- CM: Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United
- CM: James Maddison – Tottenham Hotspur
- RM: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool
- ST: Erling Haaland – Manchester City
A cracking year for Bruno. Let’s hope for an even better one in 2024.
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