With the Premier League season over, speculation about the winner of the 2021-22 PFA Player of the Year still lingers.
The official six-player shortlist is typically revealed in early June and the winner named several days later, with only Premier League players eligible to vote.
The dates for the announcement of this year’s shortlist and winner are yet to be released. The awards are usually handed out in late May or early June.
With Manchester City pipping Liverpool to the title, it remains to be seen whether Kevin De Bruyne will beat Mohamed Salah to the PFA award.
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Jarrod Bowen, Bukayo Saka and Heung-min Son are among the names who could make the shortlist, so too full-backs Joao Cancelo and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and midfielder James Ward-Prowse. Those six all made the eight-man shortlist for the Premier League award won by De Bruyne.
De Bruyne is going for the PFA hat-trick, having last year picked up the gong for the second consecutive season, while his City teammate Phil Foden – last year’s PFA Young Player of the Year – was recently named the Premier League Young Player of the Season for a second year in a row.
PFA Player of the Year favourites
- Mo Salah – 2/5
- Kevin De Bruyne – 9/4
- Harry Kane – 20/1
- Bernardo Silva – 22/1
- Virgil van Dijk – 25/1
- Phil Foden – 33/1
- Sadio Mane – 40/1
- Diogo Jota – 50/1
- Joao Cancelo – 50/1
- Son Heung-min – 50/1
Via SkyBet at time of writing
Mo Salah
- 2/5
Although De Bruyne won last year’s main award, Mo Salah picked up the PFA’s Fans’ Player of the Year – and he is the favourite to go one step further this year.
The fact Liverpool narrowly missed out to City could sway the voting away from the Egyptian, but his tally of 23 goals and 13 assists meant no player made more direct goal contributions than him.
He shared the Golden Boot with Son, and topped the league for assists.
Kevin De Bruyne
- 9/4
Last year De Bruyne became only the second player in history to win the award in back-to-back seasons – after Cristiano Ronaldo in 2006/07 and 2007/08.
The Belgian has had yet another remarkable season this campaign, scoring 15 goals and assisting eight in 30 games so far.
His individual performances have been a standout in a sumptuous City side that defended their title, meaning he would be a worthy – and historic – winner of this award.
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Harry Kane
- 20/1
After a dogged start to the campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs’ revival under Antonio Conte culminated in them finishing fourth ahead of Arsenal.
For the eighth season in a row, the England hitman has recorded double figures goal returns, with this season’s tally finishing at 17.
Add his nine assists to that and the one season wonder speculation that emerged after his breakthrough season gets ever more ludicrous by the day.
Bernardo Silva
- 22/1
This season has seen Bernardo Silva firmly entrench himself as one of the first names on Pep Guardiola’s team sheet.
He has played nearly 50 per cent more minutes this season than he did in 2019-20 and 2020-21, recording an impressive eight goals and four assists from a central midfield berth he now calls his own.
The Portugal international may not grab the headlines in the same way as the other names on this list, but his importance to City is undeniable.
Virgil van Dijk
- 25/1
Few players rival the defensive prowess of Virgil van Dijk in the world, let alone the Premier League.
In 2019 the Dutchman became the first defender since John Terry in 2005 to win the PFA Player of the Year award after playing every league game and keeping 19 clean sheets.
This season has been an equally assured one from the Liverpool centre-half, though his chances of picking up the award are likely diminished as this campaign does not have the breakthrough quality that 2018-19 did.
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Phil Foden
- 33/1
Sixth favourite for the award is Phil Foden, who has scored nine and assisted five this season.
Question marks do remain about the Mancunian starlet’s place within City’s team, though. He has been deployed on both wings and as a false nine this season and Guardiola is never shy about criticising him in public – no doubt a reflection of man management rather than frustration-bred outbursts.
Time is still on 21 year-old Foden’s side when it comes to fulfilling his astronomical potential, but this season’s PFA gong may well be out of reach.
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