Kevin De Bruyne Reveals He Voted for Mo Salah for PFA Player of the Year Award

Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he voted for Liverpool star Mohamed Salah to win the PFA Player of the Year Award for 2017-18 despite the Egyptian winger likely being his main rival for the gong. 

In an interview with BT Sport's Des Kelly ahead of City's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg clash against Liverpool, the Belgian said he believes the award will go to one of Salah, himself, team-mate David Silva or Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane:

Pep Guardiola's City side can seal the Premier League title in record time if they beat second-placed Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Their lead at the top of the table sits at 16 points, and De Bruyne, 26, has arguably been their best player throughout the 2017-18 campaign—he has returned seven goals and 15 assists in 31 appearances. 

However, Salah has been equally, if not more, impressive as he has netted 29 goals and provided nine assists in 31 league outings for Jurgen Klopp's thrilling Liverpool side.

There are valid arguments for both men. De Bruyne was pivotal as City set a blistering pace in the opening months of the season and then moved away from the pack.

He is a key part of the reason why City have been the champions-elect for months now, and the Belgium international believes he deserves the PFA gong.

Salah, meanwhile, has been remarkable for the sheer volume of goals he has netted.

Since the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams for the 1995-96 season only six players have hit the 30-goal barrier for a campaign—Alan Shearer, Kevin Phillips, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez. 

Salah, 25, is just a goal away from joining that elite group, while he needs to score only three more times in Liverpool's remaining six games to break the record for the most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season.

For many, that kind of goalscoring form is deserving of the PFA award, even if Salah will not be a Premier League winner this season.

And, to De Bruyne's great credit, he put aside any notion of tactical voting to acknowledge the contribution Salah has made this season in the English top flight.