The PFA Player of the Year nominations were revealed on Saturday morning and there was one notable absentee.
Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, David de Gea, Harry Kane, David Silva and Leroy Sane are the six nominees for the award, due to be handed out next Sunday, April 22. However, for some reason, Roberto Firmino hasn’t been nominated.
The Liverpool forward has had a brilliant season. In 44 games, he has scored 24 goals and registered 11 assists. But the Brazilian’s contribution goes beyond these statistics, as he is arguably Liverpool’s most important player.
Firmino is the team’s first defender who starts every press, the one who links play between Liverpool’s deadly front-line and finishes like a natural centre-forward when he gets the chance.
Salah has rightly got the plaudits for his astonishing performances this season and will most likely win the award for the player of the year. But Firmino has played a big part in Salah’s success. His intelligent and selfless movement has created space for the Egyptian to score the goals and be the star.
It’s no wonder Jurgen Klopp has called Firmino the “engine” of his team and praises him at every available opportunity.
This Firmino – Salah combination 🤪#UCL @LFC pic.twitter.com/mUp8tLsRyY
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 10, 2018
Premier League players vote for the award, so we should respect their choices as they have come up against each footballer this season.
However, that being said, has Sane really had a better season than Firmino? The Manchester City winger has been excellent for most of the season and has been directly involved in 21 Premier League goals, the same total as Firmino. But it could be argued Firmino is a lot more important to Liverpool than Sane is to City.
Tottenham pair Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min are two others that have arguably been overlooked for a nomination.
