‘This award is always for Liverpool’: Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City have NO CHANCE of a player winning the individual prizes this year… as Jordan Henderson is named FWA Footballer of the Year to follow Reds stars who won PFA prize last two years
- Pep Guardiola has hit out at the individual awards system in English football
- Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling are up for the big honours this season
- But Guardiola feels the accolades will inevitably go to one of Liverpool’s players
- Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson remains a frontrunner for the honour
- Henderson has already won the Football Writers’ player of the year award
Pep Guardiola has hit out at the awards system in English football and suggested they are always geared around Liverpool success.
Guardiola has been speaking out on the PFA awards, with the big honour of PFA Player of the Year set to be announced in the coming weeks.
The Manchester City boss appears to still hold a grudge after the accolade was won in each of the two previous seasons by a Liverpool player, despite his City team winning the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola has gone on a rant about the awards system in English football and Liverpool
‘No no, it will be won by a Liverpool player,’ Guardiola told the BBC this week when asked for his thoughts.
‘When we won the Premier Leagues it was won by a Liverpool player.
‘When they win the Premier League I’m pretty sure they are going to win the player of the season, so this award is always for Liverpool.’
Guardiola has suggested Kevin De Bruyne will be overlooked this year in favour of a man in red
Two seasons ago, as City set new records and surged to the 100-point barrier in top flight football, Kevin De Bruyne missed out on the big award to Liverpool’s high-flying Mohamed Salah, who enjoyed an astonishing debut season with the Reds.
Last season, as City and Liverpool battled down to the final day of the campaign and Guardiola’s men won by a single point, Liverpool again took the individual spoils.
De Bruyne was again tipped while Raheem Sterling seemed a strong favourite for Player of the Year, though neither could wrestle past Liverpool’s imperious Virgil van Dijk, who helped guide his side to Champions League glory.
This season Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson remains a firm favourite to scoop the main prize, while Sadio Mane and Van Dijk once more are closely tipped.
Liverpool’s Premier League winning captain Jordan Henderson remains a PFA frontrunner
City could be dealt a double blow, as Henderson has also been officially named the Football Writer’s Awards player of the season, ahead of De Bruyne.
Though Liverpool have coasted to the Premier League title, to end a 30-year wait in blistering fashion, De Bruyne has shown a relentless consistency over at the Etihad.
The Belgian has 19 assists to his name this season, followed by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (13), Andy Robertson (11), and Salah (10).