Bruno Fernandes? Declan Rice? Sky Sports ranks the Premier League’s top 25 players right now | Football News

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 took an average of their answers to produce the Sky Sports top 25.

The list includes players from nine different clubs, with leaders Arsenal the best represented, accounting for seven of the top 25. But which player takes top spot? And how do the rankings below compare to our last vote at the start of the season?

25th: Casemiro

Casemiro clinches a place in our top 25 having enjoyed 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 outstanding performances for Crystal Palace earned him a January transfer to Manchester City, where he immediately became an important player for Pep Guardiola.

22nd: 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 Premier League scorer with nine goals.

21st: Bernardo Silva

A player considered by Pep Guardiola to be one of the best he has coached. Bernardo Silva was one of few Manchester City players to deliver consistently last season and continues to be key.

20th: Elliot Anderson

Nottingham Forest’ Elliot Anderson has excelled in difficult circumstances this season, underlining his status as one of the Premier League’s best all-round midfielders.

19th: Martin Zubimendi

Martin Zubimendi clinches a top 20 place having become a key figure for Mikel Arteta in the heart of Arsenal’s midfield following his arrival last summer.

18th: Reece James

Injuries remain an issue but Reece James has had ample opportunities to show his outstanding quality for Chelsea this season, excelling both at right-back and in central midfield.

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.

16th: Hugo Ekitike

One of the Premier League’s best newcomers this season, Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike comes in at 16th having stepped up in the absence of injured team-mate Alexander Isak.

15th: Bruno Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes remains Newcastle’s heartbeat in central midfield, bringing outstanding quality and leadership and continuing to make a huge contribution even in a testing season for the club.

14th: Bukayo Saka

The goals and assists haven’t flowed as freely as in previous seasons but Bukayo Saka remains crucial to Arsenal’s attack.

13th: 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.

12th: Gianluigi Donnarumma

Who has the better goalkeeper between title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City? It’s the former, according to our reporters and journalists. Gianluigi Donnarumma makes the overall top 10 but he’s not as high as his Arsenal counterpart.

11th: 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 by any defender in the Premier League.

10th: Morgan Rogers

The highest-ranking 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 lately but has shown himself to be one of the Premier League’s game-changing talents under Unai Emery.

9th: Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro’s potential was clear at former club Brighton but he has hit new heights since his move to Chelsea in the summer, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 30 Premier League appearances to earn himself a spot in our top 10.

8th: David Raya

He has been pitted against Donnarumma this season but Arsenal’s David Raya, on course for his third Golden Glove award, comes out on top among goalkeepers according to our vote.

7th: William Saliba

When William Saliba is available, history shows Arsenal are a much stronger outfit. The French international has enjoyed another excellent campaign in the heart of Mikel Arteta’s defence.

6th: Antoine Semenyo

A mid-season switch from Bournemouth to Manchester City did not interrupt the explosive Antoine Semenyo’s rhythm. He ranks sixth having scored 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 outstanding player in a difficult campaign, Dominik Szoboszlai comes in at fifth. His stunning free-kick goals have lit up the Premier League this season and they are just one part of his huge, all-round offering to Arne Slot’s side.

4th: Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland’s scoring rate has slowed in the second half of the season but he remains in a league of his own among Premier League strikers, his total of 22 goals putting him top of this season’s scoring charts. He has also chipped in seven assists.

3rd: Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes is the top-rated defender in our rankings, coming at third overall as he continues to excel for the Gunners in both boxes. 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 stellar season for Arsenal in which he has made a huge contribution to their title charge at both ends of the pitch.

1st: Bruno Fernandes

Our reporters and journalists agreed with Rooney, voting Bruno Fernandes as No 1 in the Premier League. The 31-year-old is enjoying arguably the best individual season of his Manchester United career having racked up seven goals and 16 assists in 27 games.

Who are the big fallers and risers?

Amazingly, the player ranked top in August does not even feature in the top 25 seven months later. Mohamed Salah’s absence from the list reflects his steep drop-off this term after inspiring Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season.

Salah is in fact one of six Liverpool players to have fallen out of the top 25 this time around, with Alexander Isak and Virgil van Dijk having plummeted from fifth and sixth respectively.

Alisson was 12th in August, while Florian Wirtz, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch are also nowhere to be seen having come in at 13th, 17th and 24th respectively in the previous rankings.

Other notable fallers are Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Manchester City’s Rodri, who occupied the third and fourth spots in August but do not make the top 25 this time around.

Martin Odegaard, Eberechi Eze, Matheus Cunha and the 2023/24 player of the year Phil Foden have also dropped out of the top 25.

The standout riser, meanwhile, is Bruno Fernandes, who takes top spot having come in at ninth in the August vote. Declan Rice has risen seven places to claim second place.

The highest new entrant is Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, who ranks fifth having not made the top 25 last time, closely followed by Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo in sixth.

David Raya and Joao Pedro are also new names in the top 10, with Brentford’s Igor Thiago another eye-catching inclusion in 13th.