BEVERLY HILLS, June 04, (THEWILL) – In the dominant run that eventual English Premier League champions of the 2020/2021 season Manchester City had, it was easy to predict that their standout players were going to populate places in the annual Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Premier League team of the year selection.
Expectedly, City took six of the 11 players that made up the final listing.
In the placements of the final XI, as voted by the players themselves, the goalkeeper, three of the back four and both central midfielders were all from the team from the Etihad. All these selections, including those who were not from City, were deservedly worthy of being included in the team of the year.
For the goalkeeping selection, Ederson was named goalkeeper of the season while full-back Joao Cancelo and centre-back pairing Ruben Dias and John Stones were joined in the back four by Manchester United’s Luke Shaw.
As reported by THEWILL, Dias had already been named the 2020/2021 Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year, in recognition of the impact of his incredible debut season in the EPL with the champions.
In the central positions, City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan took midfield selections, and were joined again by another influential United player, attacking midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The inspiring Portuguese managed 30 combined goals and assists in 37 Premier League appearances in his first full season in England to merit inclusion.
For the fifth time in his career, golden boot winner and Tottenham Hotspur forward, Harry Kane, was named in the PFA team of the year. He had been in previous compilations in 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18, only missing out of the 2018/2019 and the 2019/2020 teams.
Other non-Manchester inclusions made the team such as Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah. For most of the pandemic season, the Egyptian carried his team and his performances have earned him a place again in the PFA team of the year for the first time since his 2017/18 breakout season.
Kane was not the only Spurs player in the team. Strike partner Son Heung-min made it in for the first time ever. This is a nod to the most prolific season of his career to date and he was unfortunate not to end with silverware after the loss to City in the final of be EFL Carabao Cup.
Fernandes, Kane, Gundogan, De Bruyne and Dias are all nominated for the individual PFA Player’s Player of the Year award as well while Phil Foden, who joins those nominees is additionally nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
These individual awards winners will be announced on Sunday 6 June.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
