Kante is in a class of his own on Player of Year shortlist
N’GOLO KANTE’S presence on the PFA Player of the Year shortlist alongside glamour boys Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez underlines that defensive midfield players are no longer dismissed as water carriers, Eric Cantona’s description of France’s World Cup-winning captain Didier Deschamps.
Kante’s appearance for Premier League leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford today will also draw comparisons with Paul Pogba, who signed for Manchester United in a world-record £89million deal three weeks after Antonio Conte nabbed Kante for a third of that price.
While Chelsea arrive in Manchester as champions-elect thanks largely to Kante, United sit outside the top four and Pogba has had to deal with more criticism after missing a key chance against Anderlecht on Thursday.
Owen Hargreaves, the closest United have come to a Kante and part of their 2008 Champions League-winning team, trained with Pogba during the Frenchman’s first spell at Old Trafford and is convinced he will end up a major star in England.
But having suffered himself during his international career for not being the most eye-catching of players, Hargreaves is glad that Kante’s importance is being noted.
‘I think Kante is incredibly valuable as the best player in the world out of possession,’ he says. ‘Nobody who does his job thinks of themselves. Kante made everybody better at Leicester and he has done that at Chelsea, too.’
Privately, Mourinho will agree with that view. Kante, now part of the French international side, was on his wishlist last summer. Kante is odds-on favourite to be chosen by his peers as the PFA Player of the Year.
If he wins, he will be the first holding midfield player to be crowned as the best since Roy Keane captained Manchester United in 2000.
Sportingly, Kante’s rival Ibrahimovic, who has scored 28 goals this season, is glad the midfielder’s contribution is being recognised.
‘A player like Kante would be good everywhere,’ said the Swede.