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December is almost done and the games are coming thick and fast for Premier League clubs. With half of the season done, the league table is starting to take a consistent shape with Manchester City runaway leaders and looking virtually unbeatable in every match.
The chasing pack are trying their best to keep up, with 5 teams challenging for 3 Champions League spots. Burnley has been the surprise package of the season, currently sitting 7th on the table.
There have been many standout players so far this season and we take a look at 5 such individuals who have impressed and, if they keep up their performances in the next half of the season, might be crowned "Player of the Season" come the end of the season.
#5 David Silva
David Silva is now a veteran at Manchester City. He has won titles with the Citizens before but this season is his most impressive to date. His intelligence levels have always made him seem a few steps ahead of his opponents and he has the trickery and skill to outfox any defence.
He has already scored 5 and is the joint highest assist leader with 8 assists. He is the heartbeat of this Manchester City team and his control and touch are second to none in the division. It is somewhat surprising that the twice Premier League winner has only been player of the month once, way back in September 2011.
#4 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Salah has been the signing of the season so far
15 goals and 5 assists in 20 matches so far, the stats speak for themselves for Mo Salah this season. The player who failed horribly at Chelsea has grabbed the Premier League by the scuff of the neck this time around and shows no signs of slowing down.
He is in a Liverpool team full of goals but has stood out among an extremely talented attack. The Egyptian can make the decisive impact in a match and has vastly improved upon his finishing, reaping the rewards in the process. Pace was always a strong point of his game and Chelsea will be kicking themselves that they let such a player go.
#3 David De Gea
David De Gea has been the best goalkeeper in the league by a mile this season even though Ederson has brought a different dynamic to the City team and Courtois jointly leads the Premier League clean sheet charts with the Spaniard at 10 clean sheets each.
De Gea made 14 saves against Arsenal, the most by any goalkeeper in a Premier League match. He ranks second in the list of most saves made in the league and that is an astounding stat in itself given that the chart is usually topped by goalkeepers of the lower teams who face a lot of shots.
An argument can be made that Chelsea's and Manchester City's defences make Ederson and Courtois look good. With De Gea, Manchester United's defence looks good because of him.
If a goalkeeper is to win the player of the year award, no one can stake their claim more than David De Gea.
#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Chelsea fans will forever wonder why De Bruyne was allowed to leave the club. The jewel in Manchester City's crown, he has scored 6 goals this season and is the joint highest assist maker in the league with 8 assists. He is also leading the charts for through balls this season, with 22 so far this season.
The Belgian is hardly ever rested and largely stays injury free. If he keeps up his performance for the months to come, he will surely see himself crowned as the best player in England with a possibility of even challenging Messi and Ronaldo as the best in the world.
#1 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspurs)
What a year 2017 has been for Harry Kane. The Englishman broke Alan Shearer's record for most goals scored in the Premier League in a calendar year even with the customary August goal drought.
He has scored two hat-tricks in his last two games and with 18 goals already in the league, only a brave man would bet against him winning the golden boot for the third season running. A truly great centre-forward coming into the form of his life, few eyebrows would be raised if he is crowned as the best player come the end of the season.
