Five Arsenal players were selected for the PFA Premier League Team of the Year — as voted for by players — for 2025-26, with Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Manchester City’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw the recipients of the Players’ Player of the Year awards.The PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) named its strongest teams for each of the top four divisions of English men’s football and top two leagues of the women’s game on Tuesday evening.Premier League champions Arsenal are represented by goalkeeper David Raya, defenders Gabriel, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, alongside midfielder Declan Rice.Manchester City, who finished runners-up in the Premier League, are represented by Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Cherki, Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, a January signing from Bournemouth. Brentford striker Igor Thiago, who scored 22 league goals, is also included.The individual award for Fernandes, the sole United representative in the team, follows his success in the Football Writers’ Association men’s footballer of the year award for the campaign. The Portugal international recorded a record-breaking 21 league assists in 2025-26.Fernandes is the first United player to win the award since Wayne Rooney in the 2009-10 season, and it is the first time in nine years that it has not been won by a Liverpool or Manchester City player, a streak dating back to N’Golo Kante’s trophy in 2017 with Chelsea.Shaw — one of three representatives of champions Manchester City in the Women’s Super League (WSL) team — was named WSL Player of the Year after powering the title win with 21 goals.Did the players get it right? We asked a team of our writers at The Athletic for their thoughts — and who should have been included instead…Would Bruno Fernandes get into any team in the world?Andy MittenPFA Premier League Team of the YearGoalkeeper: David Raya (Arsenal)Defenders: Gabriel (Arsenal), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jurrien Timber (Arsenal)Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)Forwards: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Igor Thiago (Brentford)Did the players get it right?Stu James: I found it quite unsettling not to be in a rage about the players listed. Yes, there’s a heavy Arsenal and Manchester City contingent, but I don’t have an issue with that. I’d like to make room for Morgan Gibbs-White but, unlike some of my colleagues, I can’t select him ahead of Rayan Cherki. Instead, Gibbs-White is in for Igor Thiago, who had an excellent season at Brentford but, if we’re being picky (and I am), eight of his goals were penalties. So it’s a 4-1-4-1, in case you were wondering. Keep running, DeclanSeb Stafford-Bloor: No doubt Rayan Cherki had wonderful, inclusion-worthy moments, but Morgan Gibbs-White’s 15 goals and four assists for Nottingham Forest last season, for three different coaches and during a relegation fight, was contextually more impressive. It was a better story, too, after all the shenanigans with Tottenham in the summer of 2025. Many players would have sulked through last season. Gibbs-White played brilliantly and warrants recognition.