Pep Guardiola Insists 'Champion' De Bruyne Deserved to Win PFA Player of the Year
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he feels Kevin de Bruyne should've been crowned PFA Player of the Year over Liverpool's Mohamed Salah.
The Belgian midfielder spent much of the season as the expected recipient of the accolade, but Salah's form in front of goals - accumulating 41 goals in all competitions this term - swung the vote in his favor.
De Bruyne has certainly been red hot this season. The focal point of a Manchester City team that tore the Premier League apart all year long, de Bruyne's all round play has been phenomenal this campaign to say the least.
And Guardiola claims that this should've led to him winning the Player of the Year award, despite Salah's goalscoring prowess. Speaking after City's 5-0 win over Swansea on Sunday, the Spaniard made his case.
“I know my opinion about these awards,” Guardiola began, via the Independent.
“If he doesn’t win, congratulations to the guy who is going to win, but from my point of view when you are analyzing [the last] nine or ten months, there was no player better than him, in terms of the continuity, in terms of being there every three days of all competitions.”
“I am sorry,” he said. “Maybe in numbers there are guys better than him, but no [there is no better] player in this season. For me he was the best, but it is my opinion but the opinions of the players could be different.
“I would like to feel that he [De Bruyne] deserves it but at the end [of the season], in the summer time, he will be at home, being a champion.”
