Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has revealed his pick for the best player in the Premier League.
The Italy international has been in the English top flight for five years now, having signed for Chelsea from Napoli in a £50 million move back in 2018.
Jorginho has played against some of the very best in the world in that time. But when asked the burning question of who is the best in the business, two players immediately came to his mind.
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The 31-year-old branded Manchester City star and two-time PFA Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne "ridiculous" and praised his intelligence.
But Liverpool sensation Mo Salah is at the very top in Jorginho's view, as he talked up his strength, power, speed and mental toughness.
He told The Athletic: "Kevin De Bruyne is ridiculous. But I think Mohamed Salah, he was another level. I think, yeah, I put Salah first. He was so strong, so powerful, so fast. His mentality… and however he would shoot, it would go in.
"And then in terms of intelligence on the pitch, Kevin is another level as well. So hard to mark because he’s always in the right place, always on your shoulders. "Like, ‘Where is he? Is he here now? No, he’s there’."
De Bruyne, who finished third in the Ballon d'Or rankings after his contributions in City's treble-winning campaign, has played just 20 minutes this season.
He started the curtain-raiser against Burnley at Turf Moor but suffered a recurrence of the hamstring problem which forced him off in the first half of the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
De Bruyne had been playing through the pain for the final two months of the campaign and underwent surgery in a bid to solve the problem.
He is expected to give City a boost in the new year when he returns to action.
“If he said January, it will be January,” Pep Guardiola said.
"I would have loved to have him all this season but now he has tough injury and surgery and he has to recover well. He said end of December or happy new year, so it will be a happy new year for everyone. “
Topics: Arsenal, Jorginho, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah
Josh Lawless