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What’s the story?
The PFA Player of the year (POTY) award is to be given out on Thursday but if reports are to believed, Liverpool's defender Virgil van Dijk has beaten the Manchester City ace, Raheem Sterling to the coveted prize.
Van Dijk was accompanied by Sterling, the former's team mate Sadio Mane, Chelsea's Eden Hazard and City players, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva who completed the shortlist of candidates.
In case you didn’t know...
The Dutch defender along with his Liverpool team mates voted for Sterling to lift the prize as they believed he deserved it. However, the City winger did not return the favor as he opted to vote for his English compatriot, Harry Kane.
Van Dijk has played a huge part in keeping the title challenge alive for the Reds whereas Sterling has scored 17 goals and set up 11 assists in 30 appearances he has made for the Cityzens in the Premier League.
The heart of the matter
If reports coming out of England, just a night before the announcement, are to trusted, van Dijk will lift the award tomorrow ahead the likes of Sterling, Mane, Hazard, Silva and Aguero. It is believed that the top two competitors were Sterling and the Liverpool centre-back. The latter edged past the 24 year old winger.
The Dutch international has proven himself to be a world class center back and successfully justified the hefty fee of £75 million paid by Liverpool for his services.
The Reds have lost just one game this season with the Dutchman at the back, and have conceded the least amount of goals in the league with the number hovering at 20. The 27 year old has been like a rock at the heart of the defense and is yet to be dribbled past in the league and this statistic is enough to prove his prowess.
What's next?
Manchester City winger Sterling said that he was flattered by the appreciation and recognition but he meant business and wanted to seal the league for the Cityzens more than lifting the PFA POTY award.
Van Dijk will have to keep himself grounded as the league is in its ending phases and there is unfinished business as Liverpool go neck to neck with Cityzens to lift the Premier League title.
