Why Bruno Fernandes is the most expensive midfielder in Dream Team this season — and gaffers are willing to pay!

ONLY Erling Haaland (£8.5m) is more expensive than Bruno Fernandes (£7m) ahead of the new Dream Team season. Given Manchester City’s No9 is clearly in a bracket of his own as the only player to amass to 400+ points last season, Manchester United’s captain has been bestowed a lofty status ahead of Gameweek 1. PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW: £100,000 PRIZE POT! It’s rare for a midfielder to start the season at £7m Credit: Dream Team Fernandes’ punchy price tag may come as a surprise to some managers as he finished joint-sixth among midfielders in 2025/26. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! In fact, Dominik Szoboszlai (£6m), the reigning leader in his position, outperformed the Portuguese playmaker by 53 points. So why is the Liverpool man a full £1million cheaper? One only needs to dig a little deeper into the numbers to understand why gaffers will have to part with such a substantial portion of their budget if they want to own Fernandes from the get-go. Last term’s return of nine goals (three of them penalties) was modest but the 31-year-old broke new ground when it came to assisting his team-mates. Fernandes broke the official Premier League record for most assists in a campaign, ending with 21 to his name to eclipse the best efforts of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. In Dream Team, with Opta-defined ‘fantasy assists’ and other competitions included, he registered 25 assists when all was said and done. Most read in Football His closest competitor in the metric, Rayan Cherki (£5m), finished on 18 assists. Fernandes made history last season Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Fernandes was also in a league of his own for big chances created, proof that he was worthy of his unrivalled assist total. MOST BIG CHANCES CREATED IN 2025/26 33 – Bruno Fernandes 26 – Rayan Cherki 24 – Declan Rice 23 – Dominik Szoboszlai 23 – Yeremy Pino 22 – Jeremy Doku 20 – Adam Wharton 20 – Mohamed Salah The supremacy of United’s No8 was particularly impressive given the Red Devils fulfilled the fewest fixtures possible last season. Without European commitments, Man United were eliminated from both domestic cups upon entry — limiting them to 40 games across all competitions. By way of a comparison, Arsenal played 63 games. Play Dream Team this season! £100,000 in prize money up for grabs in 2026/27 Free to enter Play in Mini Leagues against your mates £60,000 jackpot for the overall winner £1,000 prize for winning Gameweek 1 PLAY DREAM TEAM NOW! Man United will return to the Champions League this season Credit: SPORTSFILE Here’s where Fernandes’ steep price starts to make sense. Michael Carrick’s side will return to the Champions League this season, guaranteeing them at least eight European fixtures on top of their domestic schedule. Fernandes averaged 8.1 points-per-game in 2025/26 on his way to a total of 300 — no other midfielder averaged more than seven points-per-game. If he replicates that form this season (or anything vaguely close) with significantly more point-scoring opportunities in the diary, he is likely to finish as outright top performer in his position. Whether he’s able to produce the goods again is another conversation but his record over six and a half seasons at Old Trafford is outstanding. Furthermore, Fernandes must be considered among the strongest options in the game for the first three Gameweeks. Man United’s first three fixtures appear extremely favourable at this stage: Hull (a), Ipswich (h), Everton (a). Fernandes currently features of 41.3% of teams created. Open to residents of UK and Rep of Ireland, 18+ only. T&Cs apply. How to claim £30 in football free bets Midnite offer Download the Midnite app or create an account online HERE* Register using the code: BETGET30 Deposit a minimum of £10 Place a £10 sportsbook bet at minimum odds of 1/1 Free Bets will be credited upon settlement of your qualifying bet Comment now