As the end of the Premier League campaign draws to a close, talk is turning to which player (or players) should receive the individual awards on offer.
Manchester City’s Ruben Dias became the first defender in 32 years to be crowned the FWA Footballer of the Year after his influence on their title-winning campaign but there are short odds for two players elsewhere to be recognised by their peers in the PFA Player’s Player of the Year.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Tottenham striker Harry Kane are deemed leading contenders for the award, with Dias and two of his City teammates also out to add the award to their potential haul of three winners’ medals this season.
Here, we run through the five leading candidates…
Bruno Fernandes
Some bookmakers have Bruno Fernandes at shorter than evens to collect the PFA Player’s Player of the Year award, making the Manchester United midfielder favourite to win.
The Portuguese won four player of the month awards in 2020, having joined United at the start of that year, and this season he has reached double digits in the Premier League for both goals and assists.
Standout moment: United opened the season with three defeats in their first six matches, and were then trailing Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park before Fernandes’ quick first-half double turned the match around. United were as low as 13th in the table before that match, but they climbed the rankings thereafter, with Fernandes scoring the winner against West Brom a game later before then kick-starting the 3-2 comeback win over Southampton.
When are the awards announced?
The Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year was named on 20 May. Voting opened for FWA members on 1 April and closed on 10 May. Ruben Dias was named the winner.
Meanwhile, the date for the PFA Player’s Player of the Year announcement is on 4 June. Kevin De Bruyne won this award last season, with Trent Alexander-Arnold the PFA Young Player of the Year.
Ruben Dias
Manchester City failed to replace Vincent Kompany for the 2019-20 season, and many believe that led to their distant second-placed finish behind Liverpool.
Ruben Dias arrived to solve that problem in the summer, and the 23-year-old has since emerged as one of the world’s best centre-backs, filling the gap left behind by Kompany and producing performances which have resulted in his impact being likened to that of Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, who won the PFA award in 2018-19.
Standout moment: Dias’ man-of-the-match display against PSG in the Champions League semi-final second leg helped City reach the final, but arguably his best Premier League performance of the season came away at Chelsea in January. A match-high four blocked shots and six clearances helped City leave Stamford Bridge with a 3-1 win, and having been third in the table at the time, it was the fourth victory of a 13-game winning streak which ultimately saw City take a stranglehold on the league.
Harry Kane
Jose Mourinho’s 17-month spell may be quickly forgotten by Tottenham fans, but his lasting legacy could be helping Harry Kane emerge as a creator as well as a goalscorer.
Kane’s passing ability has long been showcased, but this has been the first Premier League season where he has reached double digits for assists. Having also reached 20+ goals for the first time since 2017-18, talk of beating Alan Shearer’s all-time record has also been ramped up.
Standout moment: Kane played a major role in Spurs’ 6-1 win at Manchester United in October, scoring twice, but a month prior his four assists for Son Heung-min in the 5-2 win over Southampton was the start of a lethal combination which has saved Spurs on numerous occasions.
Ilkay Gundogan
Having contracted coronavirus at the start of the season, Ilkay Gundogan went on to start just four of Manchester City’s opening 11 Premier League games, but the German’s influence grew over the winter.
His goalscoring contributions helped City drop just four points in a 19-game unbeaten run from November to March, a period where the club went from ninth in the table to first.
Standout moment: The two-month spell where Gundogan was City’s biggest goal threat. From 15 December to 13 February, the 30-year-old scored 11 goals in 12 league games, including a double at Liverpool and then at home to Spurs.
Kevin De Bruyne
The reigning PFA Player’s Player of the Year winner is likely to fall short of winning the award this time around, but while other City players have shone the Belgian’s influence has not been diminished.
His passing is second to none, often splitting defences with perfectly-weighted passes, and he could yet inspire City to Champions League glory at the end of May.
Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus combine for City's second after Kevin De Bruyne's perfectly weighted through pass.
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Standout moment: Dias shone and Gundogan scored in the 3-1 win at Chelsea in January, but it was arguably De Bruyne who was the best player on the pitch. He assisted City’s second and scored their third in a first-half flurry which blew Chelsea away.
PFA Player’s Player of the Year odds
Best available at time of writing on 20 May:
- Ruben Dias – 2-5
- Kevin De Bruyne – 7-2
- Bruno Fernandes – 9-2
- Harry Kane – 7-1
- Phil Foden – 50-1
- Ilkay Gundogan – 50-1
100-1 bar
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3nSBstw
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