Liverpool's Mohamed Salah deserves to win PFA Player of the Year for his Champion's League heroics

(Photo credit: Дмитрий Голубович)

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne have been in scintillating form this campaign with goals and assists aplenty. 

With City finally winning the Premier League trophy yesterday after rivals Manchester United lost 1-0 at old Trafford to strugglers West Brom, attention has turned towards who will win the prestigious PFA Player of the Year award. 

But how do you decide between the two when, as De Bruyne himself pointed out, they have both been deployed in different positions through the course of the season.

Salah and De Bruyne dominate the conversation

De Bruyne and Salah lead the nominations for, with City's David Silva and Leroy Sane, Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea also shortlisted.

Despite the Belgian playmaker scoring 11 goals and registering 20 assists in all competitions this term, popular opinion seems to be swaying towards Salah. 

And in a phenomenal turn of events, Guardiola's talismanic midfielder admitted to the media that the Egyptian forward was  "probably going to win" the award. 

Speaking to NBC Sports, De Bruyne said: "I think if you can choose nobody from our team, I think he deserves it. Probably he's going to win it anyway. He's been remarkable and to compete with someone that's scored that many goals, you're not going to win. I'm very satisfied with my performance this year, with the team."

Is De Bruyne right?

Salah scored his 30th Premier League goal of the season in Liverpool's 3-0 win against Bournemouth, and the 25-year-old has now scored 40 in all competitions. When you combine goals and assists too, it is the former Chelsea man who comes out on top of the pile.

Before the Champions League quarter-finals, many were torn between Salah and Bruyne. However, Salah played and scored to help Liverpool win two scorching legs, making that £36.9 million fee Jurgen Klopp paid last summer look an absolute steal.

Salah did what he had to do. The Egyptian forward stepped on the big occasion against some of the best opposition in the world, stealing the show with his goals - the same, unfortunately, could not be said for his main rival.

Break out season

To do what Salah has done in his first season at Liverpool is incredible. He has scored goals while displaying unselfish qualities, often picking the best option even if that means he doesn't score but his teammates Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino do.

The forward has impressively taken no time to settle since making his debut and helped form one of Europe’s most feared attacks while topping the Premier League scoring charts in the process. Even some of the more optimistic Liverpool fans would not have dreamed that at the start of the season. His form has even prompted loose comparisons to Lionel Messi by manager Jurgen Klopp.

"I don't think Mo or anybody else wants to be compared with Lionel Messi - he is the one who has been doing what he's been doing for what feels like 20 years or so. The last player I know who had the same influence on a team performance was Diego Maradona."

"But Mo is in a fantastic way, that's for sure. As it always is in life, if you have to have the skills you have to show that constantly and consistently, and he is very good. He helps us a lot. The boys love playing together with him, he loves playing with them so it's good."

Has there ever been a better debut season from a player in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments section below.

[zombify_post]