Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany claims Kevin De Bruyne deserved to win the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award ahead of Mohamed Salah.
The City midfielder produced one of the most influential midfield displays in the Premier League history during the Sky Blue’s title winning campaign but was pipped to the gong by the Egyptian at a ceremony in London last month.
But 32-year-old Kompany – while praising Salah’s stunning form for Liverpool – believes De Bruyne should have been rewarded for his stellar campaign which included eight goals and 15 assists in 35 matches.
“I’m going to be biased – I’m going to say ‘yes’ of course – but how can you take away from Mo Salah what he has achieved?” Kompany told CNN Sport when asked if his team-mate should have clinched the award.
“He (Salah) is an African player, which I’m happy about as well. It’s important – it’s going to have a big impact in his country – but Kevin is a master brain of football.
“The way he sees and understands the game is beyond what you can see in terms of ability from any player.
“That’s why it’s difficult to categorise Kevin’s performances.”
De Bruyne featured irregularly during his sole season at Chelsea before transforming into a star at Wolfsburg during the 2013-14 season. His scintillating form convinced Man City to sign him for £54 million in the summer of 2015.
Since then, the Belgian ace has been a totemic presence in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI, assisting 42 goals in 96 appearances along with 21 goals of his own.
He said: “If you take the full package – the passes he’s seen and the amount of actions he’s made this season which we were so clever and different from what anyone else would have done – then you would have to put him on another level.”
