No one’s entirely satisfied with that PFA Team of the Year announced today, with a selection of only Liverpool and Manchester City players plus the bizarre inclusion of Manchester United’s Paul Pogba not really much to write home about.
So we’ve done an alternative XI with some slightly more unsung stars of this Premier League season – as well as some who were somewhat bizarrely left out of the real thing.
Here’s who we went for…
GK – Alisson (Liverpool)
Players voted for City goalkeeper Ederson, but we think Alisson’s arrival at Liverpool has been crucial for their improvement. Yes, Virgil van Dijk has been immense at the back too, but Alisson has added real quality and calm to the Liverpool defence, helping them become the meanest back line in the division. He’s also great on the ball and has provided some moments of real quality like this one below:
And then there’s these stats…
CB – Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham)
Out of the picture at Tottenham last season, linked time and time again with a transfer to Manchester United which didn’t materialise, but since then Toby Alderweireld has quietly gone about having a brilliant season.
The Belgium international truly is a class act on his day and has once again helped Spurs to be genuine top four contenders, whilst also playing a big part in their exciting run to the Champions League semi-finals.
CB – Kurt Zouma (Everton)
After a difficult time with injuries, Kurt Zouma’s top-level career looked to be going nowhere this time last year, but he’s bounced back superbly at Everton.
Still technically a Chelsea player on loan at Goodison Park, you’d almost wonder if the Frenchman has been good enough this season to get himself back into the first-team picture at Stamford Bridge, which is no mean feat at a club where players shipped out on loan are usually only being put in the shop window.
RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
A terrific young player, Aaron Wan-Bissaka may not be at the level of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold just yet, but he’s shown real promise with Crystal Palace this season to attract links with bigger clubs.
Bleacher Report have linked him with Manchester United and Manchester City, while the Sun say he’s wanted at Arsenal. If he joins any of those, one imagines he could well be a contender to get into the real PFA Team of the Year next season.
LB – Lucas Digne (Everton)
Little more than a squad player at Barcelona, Lucas Digne has been superb since joining Everton and getting the chance to play more.
With four goals and four assists in the Premier League, the 25-year-old is contributing a huge amount from left-back, and if he carries on like this he could find his way back to a bigger club before too long.
CM – Fabinho (Liverpool)
He may not be Fernandinho-level yet, but Fabinho has had a superb debut season in the Premier League with Liverpool.
After a wobbly start since his summer arrival from Monaco, the 25-year-old Brazil international has really come into his own and now looks one of the club’s most important players, and of course he could still end this campaign with both Premier League and Champions League winners’ medals.
CM – Declan Rice (West Ham)
An absolute beast in defensive midfield, Declan Rice has been a phenomenon for West Ham this term and the club will now surely struggle to keep hold of him.
The 20-year-old has already been linked with Manchester United for around £50million by the Irish Independent, and it would be no surprise if he went on to fill various team of the season line ups for many years to come.
CM – James Maddison (Leicester City)
Another hugely promising young English talent, James Maddison has made a great impact in his first season in the Premier League.
A relatively low-key summer signing for Leicester from Norwich, the 22-year-old has notched up seven goals and six assists, showing superb technique and intelligence in his play that will surely make him an England regular soon, and most likely also get him a move to one of the big six in the not too distant future.
FW – Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
How on earth did Son Heung-min miss out on a place in the official team of the season? Tottenham’s star attacker has been a joy to watch this season, scoring quality goals and important ones to boot.
Not so long ago the South Korean was being talked about as a potential winner of the PFA Player of the Year prize, and we think there’s a strong argument he should at the very least be in the team of the season ahead of Sadio Mane.
FW – Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Another bizarre omission from the PFA XI, Eden Hazard has quite possibly had his best season in a Chelsea shirt, but has presumably missed out due to the under-performance of the rest of this Blues squad.
The Belgium international may not be around for much longer as he heads towards the final year of his contract and attracts regular links with Real Madrid, but he’s been a joy to watch this year and we’ve put him in our team as a sign of appreciation.
FW – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
A lethal striker doing a lot without much quality service, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could still win the Golden Boot this season, with the Arsenal striker just a goal behind Sergio Aguero and Mohamed Salah in the running.
Doing that in this pretty dreadful Arsenal team is hugely impressive from the Gabon international, who would surely be running away with the top scorer prize were he playing in a better team.
