With the PFA Player of the Year announced on Sunday, Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah are the standout favourites for the award.
The debate at WhoScored.com revolved around one simple question -- Who deserves the accolade?
Kevin De Bruyne: Ben McAleer
Manchester City’s title triumph came with a whimper, rather than a bang. West Brom’s 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday, coupled with City’s victory at Tottenham on Saturday, saw them crowned champions for the third time in the last six years. For Pep Guardiola’s side, attention now turns to making history and the individual accolades. The Premier League champions have three players shortlisted for both the Player and Young Player of the Year award. While it’s likely one of Raheem Sterling or Leroy Sane will win the latter, the former is far from settled.
A straight shootout between Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah will reach its conclusion on Sunday, and while the Liverpool star is deserving of the plaudits, it’s De Bruyne who should win the Player of the Year gong. Salah would be a worthy winner after he became the seventh player to reach the 30-goal landmark in a 38-game Premier League season last weekend, yet his Belgian adversary has been the driving force of this swashbuckling City side that, at times, swept aside opponents as though they weren’t even there.
De Bruyne’s second for key passes (103) and top for assists (15) in Europe’s top five leagues this season, while seven goals isn’t a return to be scoffed at. His WhoScored rating (7.86) is the best in the Premier League this season and while his individual goal contribution is less than that of Salah, the 26-year-old has dictated the champions’ tempo over the course of the season and driven them on to become, arguably, the most aesthetically pleasing title winners since the Premier League’s 1992 inception.
Mohamed Salah: Josh Wright
Up until now I have always agreed with the idea that the PFA Player of the Year should be from the team that wins the Premier League. With that in mind, Kevin De Bruyne would be a worthy winner. He has been instrumental to Manchester City’s title triumph, but he is no longer my POTY.
While De Bruyne and City have made a mockery of this season’s Premier League title race, it has become increasingly difficult to ignore the individual achievements of Mohamed Salah to the point where I no longer can.
The Egypt international’s first season at Liverpool has been nothing short of extraordinary. At the weekend, he became the first player to score 30 goals in any one of Europe’s top 5 leagues.
At his current rate, Salah is on course to equal the record for the most amount of goals scored in a Premier League campaign (34). He only needs one more to match Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez’s best ever hauls and he has had a direct hand in a goal in 28 of his last 33 Liverpool appearances.
Only Lionel Messi has scored or assisted (41) more goals than Salah (39) in Europe’s top five leagues this season and he has achieved all of this in his first season at the club. At 25, he will only get better. That is scary.
Who do you think should be crowned the PFA Player of the Year in the Premier League this season? Vote and comment below...
