Kevin De Bruyne has named a star snubbed by the Premier League as his player of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne missed five months of the 2023-24 season with a hamstring injury, but remarkably he has still been one of the best players in the Premier League this term.
The Manchester City star has scored four goals and provided 10 assists in 17 league games this season, more than many players with far more appearances than himself.
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De Bruyne's latest contribution was an assist for Erling Haaland during City's 2-0 win against Tottenham this week, a result that put City on the brink of winning a fourth successive title.
Because he has only played in the second half of the campaign, De Bruyne was not nominated for the EA Sports Premier League Player of the Season award.
City teammates Phil Foden and Erling Haaland are among the eight nominees, along with Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Ollie Watkins, Cole Palmer, Virgil van Dijk and Alexander Isak.
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As a two-time winner of the award, De Bruyne's voice holds serious weight. It therefore seems significant that he named City teammate Rodri, who was snubbed for the award by the Premier League, as one of his players of the season.
"For Player of the Season, if I look at our team, I’d say either Phil Foden or Rodri, because of their importance," the Belgian midfielder said when asked who he thinks is most deserving of the prize.
"There are also some really good players in other teams. Arsenal, there’s been a few, Ollie Watkins has been amazing for Aston Villa."
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Rodri's importance to City cannot be overstated; City lost three of the four Premier League games the Spaniard didn't feature in this season.
De Bruyne is certainly right about Watkins; the Aston Villa striker's 19 goals this term have helped his side qualify for the Champions League.
Interestingly, De Bruyne didn't mention Haaland. The City striker has scored 27 league goals this season and is set to win the Premier League golden boot for a second season in a row.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Football
Alex Brotherton