Wayne Rooney described Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes as the best player in the Premier League this season. Is he right?
We asked our reporters and journalists to rank a longlist of 40 of the best players in the competition right now and averaged their responses to produce Sky Sports top 25.
The list includes players from nine different clubs, with leaders Arsenal best represented and accounting for seven of the top 25. But which player takes first place? And how do the rankings below compare to our last poll at the start of the season?
25th: Casemiro
Casemiro earns a place in our top 25 after enjoying a resurgence at Manchester United this season. His total of seven league goals is the highest of his illustrious career.
24th: Enzo Fernandez
Described by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League earlier this season, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez comes in at 24th.
23rd: Marc Guehi
His excellent performances for Crystal Palace earned him a January transfer to Manchester City, where he immediately became a key player for Pep Guardiola.
22.: Bryan Mbeumo
The summer signing from Brentford has looked comfortable in his new surroundings ever since his arrival at Manchester United and ranks as their joint top scorer in the Premier League with nine goals.
21.: Bernardo Silva
A player who is considered by Pep Guardiola to be one of the best he has coached. Bernardo Silva was one of the few Manchester City players to deliver consistently last season and remains key.
20th: Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson has played for Nottingham Forest this season
Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has excelled in difficult circumstances this season, underscoring his status as one of the Premier League’s best all-round midfielders.
19.: Martin Zubimendi
Martin Zubimendi earns a top 20 spot after becoming a key figure for Mikel Arteta at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield following his arrival last summer.
18th: Reece James
Injuries remain an issue, but Reece James has had plenty of opportunities to show his exceptional quality for Chelsea this season, excelling at both right-back and central midfield.
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Reece James and Liam Rosenior share their thoughts on his new Chelsea contract
17th: Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo is one of seven Chelsea players to have seen red this season, but he still ranks as one of the Premier League’s best midfielders, according to our reporters and journalists.
16.: Hugo Ekitike
One of the Premier League’s best newcomers this season, Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike comes in at 16th after stepping up in the absence of injured teammate Alexander Isak.
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Better than Fernando Torres? See Jamie Carragher’s analysis of Hugo Ekitike
15.: Bruno Guimaraes
Bruno Guimaraes remains Newcastle’s heartbeat in central midfield, bringing exceptional quality and leadership and continuing to make a huge contribution even in a testing season for the club.
14.: Bukayo Saka
The goals and assists have not flowed as freely as in previous seasons, but Bukayo Saka remains crucial to Arsenal’s attack.
13.: Igor Thiago
Few would have predicted a place for Brentford’s Igor Thiago in this top 25 at the start of the season, but the Brentford striker has scored 19 Premier League goals in a brilliant campaign.
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See all of Igor Thiago’s Premier League goals so far this season
12th: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Who has the best goalkeeper between title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City? It is the former, according to our reporters and journalists. Gianluigi Donnarumma is the overall top 10, but he is not as tall as his Arsenal counterpart.
11.: Jurrien Timber
Another key figure in Arsenal’s title challenge, Jurrien Timber continues to add attacking threat from right-back as well as defensive solidity. His total of eight goal involvements this season is the highest of any defender in the Premier League.
10th: Morgan Rogers
The highest ranked player from a club outside the traditional ‘big six’, Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers comes in at 10th. He has experienced a dip in form of late but has proven to be one of the Premier League’s game-changing talents under Unai Emery.
9th: Joao Pedro
Joao Pedro’s potential was evident at former club Brighton, but he has reached new heights since his move to Chelsea this summer, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 30 Premier League appearances to earn himself a place in our top 10.
8th: David Raya
He has been up against Donnarumma this season, but Arsenal’s David Raya, who is on course for his third Golden Glove award, comes out on top among goalkeepers in our poll.
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Watch some of David Raya’s best saves for Arsenal this season in the Premier League
7th: William Saliba
When William Saliba is available, history shows that Arsenal are a much stronger outfit. The France international has enjoyed another excellent campaign at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s defence.
6th: Antoine Semenyo
A mid-season move from Bournemouth to Manchester City did not interrupt the rhythm of the explosive Antoine Semenyo. He is sixth after scoring five goals in nine Premier League games for City to add to the 10 in 20 he contributed for his former club.
5th: Dominik Szoboszlai
Liverpool’s standout player in a difficult campaign, Dominik Szoboszlai, comes in fifth. His stunning free-kick goals have lit up the Premier League this season and they are just part of his huge, all-round offering for Arne Slott’s side.
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Watch Dominic Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick goal at Anfield
4th: Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland’s scoring rate has dipped in the second half of the season, but he remains in a league of his own among Premier League strikers, and his total of 22 goals puts him at the top of this season’s scoring charts. He has also chipped in seven assists.
3rd: Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes is the highest-rated defender in our rankings, coming in third overall as he continues to excel for the Gunners in both areas. A dominant force defensively, he has also contributed three goals and four assists this season.
2nd: Declan Rice
Declan Rice ranks as the second best player in the Premier League right now, according to our reporters and journalists, after another fantastic season for Arsenal, making a huge contribution to their title race at both ends of the pitch.
1st: Bruno Fernandes
Our reporters and journalists agreed with Rooney, who voted Bruno Fernandes the No.1 in the Premier League. The 31-year-old is enjoying arguably the best individual season of his Manchester United career, having scored seven goals and provided 16 assists in 27 games.
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Thierry Henry praises Bruno Fernandes and gives the Man Utd captain a new nickname
Who are the big fallers and risers?
Amazingly, the player ranked at the top in August isn’t even in the top 25 seven months later. Mohamed Salah’s Absence from the list reflects his steep decline this term after inspiring Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season.
Salah is actually one of six Liverpool players to have dropped out of the top 25 this time, with Alexander Isak and Virgil van Dijk have fallen from fifth and sixth place respectively.
Mohamed Salah has had a difficult season at Liverpool
Alison was 12. in August, while Florian Wirtz, Alexis McAllister and Ryan Gravenberch are also nowhere to be seen after coming in respectively 13th, 17th and 24th in the previous rankings.
Other notable fallers are Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Manchester City’s Rodriwhich occupied the third and fourth places in August, but does not make the top 25 this time.
Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Matheus Cunha and player of the year 2023/24 Phil Foot has also fallen out of the top 25.
Phil Foden has struggled in recent months for Man City
The conspicuous riser is meanwhile Bruno Fernandeswho takes first place after coming ninth in the August poll. Declan Rice has risen seven places to achieve second place.
The highest newcomer is Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlaiwho are in fifth place after failing to reach the top 25 last time, closely followed by Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo in sixth.
David Raya and João Pedro are also new names in the top 10, with Brentford’s Igor Thiago another eye-catching admission in 13.