Arsenal Legend Insists Mohamed Salah Should Not Have Won PFA Award in Fiery Rant

Former Arsenal and England centre back Martin Keown was not at all impressed by the result of the PFA Player of the Year vote.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah was announced as the winner at the PFA award ceremony on Sunday, but - writing in his Daily Mail column - Keown stated in no uncertain terms that he felt the award should have gone to Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne:

"What more did Kevin De Bruyne have to do to be crowned Player of the Year? If I was still playing he would have had my vote."

Keown explained his reasoning, continuing: "Only a few weeks ago we were all hailing Manchester City as one of the greatest sides to win the Premier League. If that is the case, it must follow that the beating heart of that team should win the top individual accolades."

The former Arsenal man added that de Bruyne had played a decisive role in Manchester City's emphatic Premier League win. 

"City would not be dominating in the Premier League without De Bruyne’s vision and desire to take the game to the opposition," he said. "Every game he serves up a dazzling array of balls for strikers to finish."

Nevertheless, Keown - who won three Premier League titles with the Gunners - acknowledged that Salah had also had an outstanding season, and that he understood why his fellow professionals had voted for the Egyptian - who has scored 41 goals for the Reds in all competitions this season:

"The most coveted players are always the goalscorers and Mohamed Salah has been chillingly brilliant in front of goal," said Keown.

The other players shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award were City's Leroy Sané - who scooped the Young Player award - and David Silva, as well as Tottenham's Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.