De Bruyne is named PFA player of the year
Kevin De Bruyne credited Pep Guardiola after becoming the first Manchester City man to be named the Professional Fo otba l l e r s’ A s s o c i at i o n’s player of the year.
The Belgium playmaker’s award breaks a two-year run of Liverpool winners, with Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah having claimed the prize over the previous two seasons.
City trailed the Reds by an eventual 18 points in the 2 0 1 9 /2 0 P r e m i e r L e a g u e term but De Bruyne, who registered 13 goals and a rec o rd - e qu a l l i n g 2 0 a s s i s t s , was voted the campaign’s top performer by his peers and he was quick to thank his manager for handing him full creative licence.
“Most of the time he just lets me be me,” the 29-yearold said of Guardiola.
“We speak often about the team but in a lot of senses he knows when he gives the orders of what the team has to do that I will listen.
“But then on the other side he gives me a lot of freedom; I don’t know why, that’s just the way it goes between us.
“He knows in one way I will always put the team first and then obviously if I can help myself I’m going to do that. But he knows that I want the team to win, and if the team wins I will gain from it.
“This is a big honour, to be voted by your colleagues, c o m p et i to r s f ro m oth e r teams who you always play against on the field.
"That they vote for you for best player; it’s amazing.”
Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold scooped the young player of the year award, seeing off Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount, and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.