Kevin De Bruyne Names Liverpool Star His Player of the Season

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has given his take on who he considers to be the best player for the current Premier League campaign. De Bruyne, who himself has been considered to be one of the best players in the league for the last few seasons, put rivalries aside by picking Liverpool star Sadio Mane as the best player in the current season.

Mane has been one of the key actors for Liverpool this season as the Reds have bulldozed their way to the title in grand style. Although the Merseysiders are still waiting anxiously for when the league will resume so they can finally secure a first league title of the Premier League era, the team has been unstoppable in the last two years under Jurgen Klopp’s tutelage.

The Reds came agonisingly close to securing the title last season when they pushed Manchester City all the way to the finish line.

But despite accruing 97 points, they still fell short as Man City finished a point ahead. That gave Pep Guardiola a second Premier League title as the Blues emerged back-to-back champions. However, the Anfield side began this season with renewed zest and have blown every other team away (apart 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 secured under controversial circumstances, the reigning European champions have shown how good they are by winning 27 out of 29 league matches this term. That has led many to consider them one of the best teams in Premier League history and champions in waiting. With a 25-point lead at the top of the table with nine games to go, that's hardly debatable.

Unlike last season and the season before when Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were respectively considered the key figures for the side, Mane has been the main man for Klopp this time around. The Senegal International won the African footballer of the Year award last January, dethroning teammate Mo Salah to claim the crown. As the season has progressed, the 28-year-old has proved that was well deserved.

Although he has contributed 14 league goals and nine assists to the cause so far, his overall output has been incredible. He regularly tracks back to help out in defence while adding an extra body in midfield when necessary. But it’s upfront that he truly excels, scoring and assisting his teammates regularly. It becomes understandable then that De Bruyne will pick him as the best player this season.

Speaking to BT Sport on who his choice for the individual award would be, De Bruyne said: “I would say Mane.

“I think he has been the total package this year for Liverpool.

“He has been important, so if I had to choose somebody, I would choose Mane.”

The annual Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Awards was scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 26. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has led to an indefinite postponement as the rest of the campaign still hangs in the balance.