We can officially confirm that, in alphabetical order, David De Gea, Fred and Cristiano Ronaldo are the three players who have earned the most nominations from our supporters so far.

De Gea has won the historic club award on four previous occasions and the Spaniard is hotly tipped to claim an unprecedented fifth following an excellent season on an individual level.

Fred could be a new winner of the Sir Matt Busby-named prize and it would acknowledge what has undoubtedly been the Brazilian’s best campaign as a United player to date.

Of course, Ronaldo is no stranger to the Player-of-the-Year trophy: the Portuguese received three of them during his first spell at Old Trafford and will undoubtedly want to add a fourth to his haul.

Have you voted yet? Make sure you do before our poll closes on Saturday…

EDITORIAL PICKS

Read what three United writers have to say about our top three…

DAVID DE GEA

Paul Davies, United Review Editor: “If this category was about which player has provided most excitement when I’ve sat in the stands this season, then it would be Jadon Sancho. After taking his time to settle he enjoyed a much improved second half of the season – his dribbling being mesmerising at times – and there’s been enough promise there to be excited about the years ahead. 

“But this isn’t about signs of promise, so my United player of 2021/22 is our Spanish goalkeeper. The four-time winner of the Sir Matt Busby POTY award was at his shot-stopping best this season, De Gea producing several Man of the Match displays. The tone was set by his stunning double-save against Wolves as we won 1-0 at Molineux in August, and quickly followed by his injury-time penalty stop from Mark Noble in our victory at West Ham a month later. But those were just the first clips from of a lengthy showreel of saves across the campaign from our no.1. Is a fifth Sir Matt Busby statuette heading his way? You wouldn’t bet against it.”

FRED

Steve Bartram, Features Editor: “In unquestionably his finest season at Old Trafford, Fred has established himself as a key component of the midfield. A one-man hive of activity, the Brazilian has provided his customary energy in a defensive capacity while also ramping up his influence at the other end of the field. Having notched 11 goal involvements across his first three seasons, Fred has almost matched that three-term total this time around, scoring four and teeing up another six. Home-and-away efforts against Leeds will live long in the memory, while he also popped up at key moments to defeat Crystal Palace and equalise against Leicester City. Having found his feet in English football, Fred’s game has moved to the next level in 2021/22 and his ceaseless endeavour means that he can look back on his campaign with head held high.”

CRISTIANO RONALDO

Ian McLeish, Editor-In-Chief: “A selection that may well be tinged with sentimentality, but it still has the stats to back it up. It would be hard to find a United fan who would have expected to see Ronny in a United shirt ever again, but our eyes weren’t deceiving us when he ran out in front of an adoring, expectant crowd against Newcastle in September and picked up where he left off in 2009. For that moment alone he would provide a compelling argument for our man of the season. 

“There’s no doubting it’s been a difficult campaign, but our no.7’s highlights reel is still pretty special – trebling his hat-tricks total for the club, last-gasp miracles in the Champions League against Villarreal and Atalanta, his match-winning performance at home to Arsenal, to name but a few.”

Remember to cast your vote before the poll closes on Saturday.