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Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has given his opinion on who he considers to be the best player for the current Premier League campaign. De Bruyne, who has been regarded as one of the league’s best players for the past few seasons, brushed aside rivalries by choosing Liverpool star Sadio Mane as the best player of the current season.
Mane has been one of the key players for Liverpool this season, as the Reds have swept their way to the title in great style. Although the Merseysiders are still anxiously awaiting when the league will resume in order to finally clinch a Premier League-era first league title, the team has been unstoppable for the past two years under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds came very close to securing the title last season when they pushed Manchester City to the finish line.
But despite accumulating 97 points, they still fell short when Man City finished one point ahead. That gave Pep Guardiola a second Premier League title when the Blues emerged as consecutive champions. However, the Anfield team started this season with renewed enthusiasm and have eliminated all other teams (aside from Watford, of course).
They defeated City 3-1 at Anfield when the two sides met last November in a remarkable performance that saw Guardiola’s side fail to close the gap at the top. Although the victory was assured in controversial circumstances, the current European champions have shown how good they are by winning 27 of 29 league games in this period. That has led many to consider them one of the best teams in Premier League history and champions on hold. With a 25-point lead at the top of the table with nine games to go, that’s hardly debatable.
Unlike last season and last season, when Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were respectively considered the key figures of the team, this time Mane has been the main man of Klopp. Senegal International won the African Footballer of the Year award last January, dethroning teammate Mo Salah to claim the crown. As the season progresses, the 28-year-old has shown he deserved it.
Although he has so far contributed 14 league goals and nine assists to the cause, his overall performance has been incredible. Regularly crawls to aid defense while adding extra body in midfield when needed. But it’s honest that he really excels, scoring and helping his teammates regularly. It is understandable that De Bruyne chooses him as the best player this season.
Speaking to BT Sport about who would be his choice for the individual award, De Bruyne said: “I would say Mane.
“I think it was the total package this year for Liverpool.
“It was important, so if I had to choose someone, I would choose Mane.”
The annual award ceremony for the Association of Professional Footballers (PFA) was scheduled for Sunday, April 26. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has caused an indefinite postponement as the rest of the campaign is still at stake.
