Belgium and Manchester City midfeilder Kevin De Bruyne beat four Liverpool players to clinch the PFA’s Player’s Player of the Year award, a feat he credited to the influence of Pep Guardiola after becoming the first Manchester City player to win the award.
City trailed Liverpool by 18 points in the 2019/20 Premier League season but De Bruyne, who registered 13 goals and a record-equalling 20 assists, was voted the campaign’s top performer by his peers after already winning the Premier League Player of the year at the end of the 2019/2020 season.
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Van Dijk and youngster Alexander-Arnold all missed out on the player of the year award, but made it to the team of the year alongside team mate Andy Robertson.
Burnley’s Nick Pope, Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu, City’s David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, golden boot winner Jamie Vardy, and Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all made up the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Trent Alexander-Arnold also beat fellow England Internationals , Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount Bukayo Saka to convert the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford was handed a merit award as a nod to his role in the fight against child poverty.
Rashford forced the UK government into a U-turn over its free school meals policy during lockdown, ensuring children in need would receive meals across the summer.
The England forward has since formed a child food poverty task force, linking up with some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and food brands and hopes to inspire other players to do things to help.
