PFA Premier League Team of the Year: Who should have been selected?
Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and David De Gea have all been included but who else could and should have joined them?
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Your support makes all the difference.The PFA Premier League Team of the Year was announced on Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and David De Gea have all been included and rightly so after outstanding seasons from first to last.
There were also spots for Tottenham's Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen while Marcos Alonso of Chelsea got the nod.
However, despite the team being selected by their fellow players, there are one or two who could potentially feel hard-done-by to miss out following impressive domestic seasons of their own.
Let's take a look at five notable candidates:
Jamie Vardy
Currently the joint-fifth top-scorer in the Premier League with 17 goals, the Leicester City frontman has enjoyed another prolific season in front of goal.
Whilst quite not matching the achievements of his competitors, the 31-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic campaign in a Leicester side that has struggled with consistency throughout the majority of the season.
He has scored in eight of his last 10 league games and has further enhanced his reputation as one of the elite goal-scorers in the Premier League.
James Tarkowski
Charged with the task of replacing the departed Michael Keane in the heart of the Burnley defence, Tarkowski has performed admirably this season.
Sean Dyche’s Clarets boast the third-best defensive record in the league this season having only shipped four more than champions Manchester City with 29. 25-year-old Tarkowski has really come of age this season and his performances earned him a maiden England call-up against Italy in March.
An honourable mention must also be Burnley stopper Nick Pope whose performances in place of the injured Tom Heaton has seen the Lancashire outfit assemble a challenge for Europe.
Raheem Sterling
Enjoying the most profitable season of his career, Sterling has already bagged 17 goals and provided 12 assists in only 25 Premier League starts. The 23-year-old’s performances both on the wing and in a central striking have been key reasons to Manchester City’s domestic dominance this season.
He has claimed two trophies this season; the Carabao Cup and the Premier League crown, and looks set to swell his personal trophy cabinet further under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola. The ex-Liverpool man is surely one of the most obvious exclusions in the PFA Team of the Year.
Roberto Firmino
Despite having scored double figures in league goals for the past two seasons since his switch from Hoffenheim, the Brazilian has been in electric form this season.
The forward has netted on 15 occasions this season and provided seven assists with Liverpool hunting a place in the Champions League next season. He has also combined exquisitely with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to make the Reds’ attack one of the most feared in the Premier League, if not Europe.
His energy-sapping play from the front has also been crucial having made 62 tackles this season.
Pascal Groß
One of the bargains of the season, Groß joined Brighton & Hove Albion for only £3m from Ingolstadt in the summer. The German has been key in a Seagulls side who look set to enjoy consecutive Premier League campaigns for the first time ever.
He has scored six times and provided eight assists in the league this season. The 26-year-old also netted a crucial penalty against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening to all-but secure the team’s position in the Premier League next season.
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