Having equalled the Premier League goals record on Saturday, Liverpool’s Mo Salah was crowned PFA Player of the Year on Sunday evening.
The Egyptian has scored 31 league goals since returning to England from AS Roma last summer, matching the existing record that is jointly held by Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez. With three games remaining, it’s difficult to see him not breaking the record before the season ends.
Although his impressive goals haul means it’s hard to argue the former FC Basel and Chelsea player doesn’t deserve the award, plenty of people were disappointed that Kevin De Bruyne missed out.
The Belgian international has played a significant role in Manchester City’s successful league campaign, scoring 12 times and providing 15 assists – more than anyone else in the English top flight. Despite this, he was still beaten to the main PFA award by Salah.
Pep Guardiola is amongst those who believe De Bruyne, not Salah, should have been crowned player of the year. The City manager pointed to his player’s consistency throughout the season.
“I know my opinion about these awards,” Guardiola said. “From my point of view when you are analysing the nine or 10 months, there was no player better than him, in terms of the continuity, in terms of being there every three days of all competitions.
“I am sorry. Maybe in numbers there are guys better than him, but no player in this season [is better than De Bruyne]. For me he was the best, but it is my opinion, but the opinions of the players could be different.”
Manchester City were confirmed as Premier League champions last weekend, after Manchester United’s surprise defeat at home to West Brom. They played their first home game since winning their fifth title on Sunday, defeating Swansea City 5-0. De Bruyne himself was amongst the scorers. Leroy Sane, who was named as the PFA Young Player of the Year, was an unused substitute.
