We continue our look at the contenders for the PFA Player of the Year award
Wednesday 20 March 2019 16:02, UK
Virgil Van Dijk, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling are Sky Bet's favourites for the PFA Player of the Year award but who else is in the mix?
From Eden Hazard to Heung-Min Son, we take a look through some of the outside contenders for the prize.
Chelsea have endured a disappointing season under Maurizio Sarri and face an almighty battle to finish in the Champions League places, but Hazard has not disappointed.
In fact, the Belgian, PFA Player of the Year in 2013/14, is on track for his most productive Premier League season yet. Having already scored 13 times, he only needs four more to beat his tally of 16 in 2016/17. With 11 assists, he has already matched his highest total for a single campaign.
Mane is enjoying an outstanding campaign for Liverpool, scoring 17 goals for the Premier League leaders and adding three more in the Champions League - including the stunning double which put them into the quarter-finals at Bayern Munich's expense.
He has been particularly impressive in the last few months, scoring 11 times in 13 games since the turn of the year and becoming a talismanic figure for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Manchester City have coped admirably without the injured Kevin De Bruyne this season and it owes a lot to the enduring brilliance of Silva. Despite suffering injuries in December and January, he has featured in all but four of City's Premier League games, scoring six goals and providing six assists.
Silva continues to pull the strings for City, and having started their last eight consecutive games in all competitions, he looks set to play a key role in their hunt for the quadruple in the months ahead.
Salah has been a victim of his own success this season. The Egyptian sent records tumbling on his way to last year's PFA Player of the Year award, scoring 44 goals in all competitions, but he has not been able to hit the same levels in the current campaign.
Having said that, he has still been one of the Premier League's outstanding players, scoring 20 times in all competitions. With 17 goals and seven assists in the Premier League, no player has had a direct hand in more goals. A strong finish to the season could put last year's winner back in contention.
Paul Pogba fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho in the first half of the season, which makes it even more impressive that he now approaches the run-in having amassed a total of 11 goals and nine assists in 27 Premier League appearances.
His commanding midfield performances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been key to United's resurgence in the second half of the campaign. With Champions League glory and a top-four Premier League finish still to play for, United will expect more of the same in the final months of the campaign.
Tottenham's Premier League title challenge may have faltered but Kane's scoring exploits continue. Despite missing a chunk of the season with injury, the 25-year-old still sits second in the Premier League scoring charts with 17 goals in 26 appearances. There have been nine goals in his last 10 games in all competitions.
Kane remains a talismanic figure for Mauricio Pochettino's side and he is sure to play a pivotal role as they battle for a top-four finish and Champions League success in the remaining weeks of the season.
Son has also shone for Tottenham - assuming centre stage when Kane was sidelined by injury between January and February and scoring a string of vital goals.
In total, the South Korea international has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in the Premier League, while there have also been eye-catching performances in the cup competitions. Son has become a vital player for Spurs and established himself as a leading Premier League star.
