With just a little over two months of the Premier League action left in the 2017/18 season, the candidates for the PFA Player of the Year award are starting to take shape. There have been a number of stars who have shone bright on the football pitch and have led their team with their individual brilliance this term.
With the voting for the PFA Player of the Year award set to begin in a few days’ time, ahead of the final stretch of the Premier League, we pick the five most likely footballers to win the prestigious honour come the end of the season;
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
The Belgian superstar has taken his game to a whole new level this season under Pep Guardiola and has been the flag-bearer of Manchester City’s unrivalled challenge for the Premier League title.
De Bruyne has been brilliant for the Citizens, making his presence felt every time he has been on the field and has already racked up a total of seven goals and fourteen assists for the season.
Topping the assist charts, the 26-year old has also created the most number of clear-cut chances in the league this season (89). Given the level that he has been performing the entire season, with such amazing consistency at that, he is the prime contender for this year’s PFA Player of the Year award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzwleM6Tl3s
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
No signing in the Premier League has made a better start to life in England than Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has done this season. The Egyptian speedster, signed from AS Roma in the summer, has been tearing apart defences for fun for the Reds this term and has taken the English shores by storm.
Salah is currently the second highest goalscorer in the competition with 24 goals and has also chalked up eight assists to his name as well.
A direct involvement in a goal every 68 minutes, a goal scored every 92 minutes, those are staggering numbers for a player in his first season at the club and the fact that he has already crossed the 30-goal barrier in all competitions already shows how brilliant he has been this season. He is likely to give De Bruyne a close competition for the award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5DXH1HwC7k
Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
Another season. Another Golden Boot on the cards. That’s Harry Kane in a nutshell for you. The prolific England striker sits atop the goalscoring charts in the Premier League once again with 24 strikes and looks all set to become only the third player in the history of the Premier League to have scored 25+ goals in three consecutive seasons after legends Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.
And to do that, having gone an entire month without a goal (the September curse) and having had brief spells out on the sidelines along the way gives you an idea about the sheer goalscoring prowess of the Tottenham Hotspur man. At this rate, another Golden Boot beckons for the 24-year old and it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see the PFA Player of the Year award also be bestowed upon him.
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
The Argentine striker has continued to enhance his legendary status with Manchester City this season and has once again been at the forefront of their brilliant campaign that looks certain to end with the Premier League triumph.
There were doubts over his adaptability in Guardiola’s system, but he has dispelled all such doubts and has notched up 21 goals already and is third behind Kane and Salah in the goalscoring charts.
Aguero, in the process, went on to become City’s highest ever goalscorer, going past Eric Brooks’ tally of 177 goals that had stood for decades. And the player is now on the verge of making it 200 goals for the club. The consistency that he has displayed over the years is a testament to his brilliance. Aguero may not be the hot favourite for the PFA award, but surely is a top contender.
David De Gea (Manchester United)
For a number of years now, David De Gea has been doing some amazing things between the goal posts for Manchester United and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this season, the Spaniard has well and truly established himself as the best in England and Europe by a fair distance. So far this term, De Gea has kept 15 clean sheets in 28 league outings – the best tally in the competition.
The 27-year old has been simply spectacular for the Red Devils this season behind a defence that has looked extremely shaky more often than not and the fact that United have the joint best defensive record in the Premier League has a lot to do with his presence in goal.
A Golden Glove award looks very much a strong possibility for De Gea and his performances also make him an outside contender for the PFA Player of the Year award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEmkbpIMRoc