The 2021/22 Premier League season is now well underway, and fans have seen plenty of strong performances from the top players in the division.
Mohamed Salah, for instance, has hit ten goals and provided seven assists for Liverpool in 11 starts.
Phil Foden, meanwhile, has started the season in stunning form for Manchester City, alongside team-mate Bernardo Silva.
Fans will have their own personal rankings for these players. Public opinion tends to influence who picks up the PFA Player of the Year award, too.
When it comes to the current favourite for the award, there is no surprise that Mo Salah is currently leading the way in front.
Let’s take a look at the other leading contenders for the award, with odds courtesy of BetVictor:
Mo Salah (Liverpool)
Current odds: 5/6 (favourite)
Even by his incredibly high standards, this has been a metronomic start to the season by Mo Salah.
The Egyptian has struck ten times in just 11 games. That included a goal of the season contender against Watford last month. He’s also provided seven assists.
Salah starred in Liverpool’s memorable and historic 5-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, netting a hat-trick. That was the seventh consecutive Premier League game in which Salah had scored at least one goal – a run ended after his side’s 2-2 draw with Brighton on October 30.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Current odds: 8/1
Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Manchester United homecoming appeared to give fans the belief that his club could challenge for the Premier League title once again.
That hasn’t happened. United are stranded in sixth place in the league, already nine points behind leaders Chelsea.
But that’s not to say Ronaldo’s performances haven’t been of an exceptionally high level. In September, heHe scored twice on his second debut against Newcastle and netted in United’s 2-1 win over West Her.
In October, against Tottenham Hotspur, he put in a man of the match performance by scoring once and setting up a goal for Edinson Cavani in a 3-0 win.
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Current odds: 12/1
One of a trio of City players in the top five leading contenders for this award, Phil Foden has arguably been the Citizens’ most outstanding player so far this term.
Having featured both out wide and in an advanced central role, Foden has been an integral part of City’s play.
He netted twice and provided an assist in a 4-1 win against Brighton in October. Earlier in the month, he starred in City’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. Foden scored to make it 1-1 on the afternoon.
Foden missed the first month of the season through injury, which has made his displays all the more impressive.
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Current odds: 12/1
The winner of the last two PFA Player of the Year awards, Kevin De Bruyne, is aiming to make it a hat-trick this season.
Much like Foden, the Belgian midfielder had a disrupted start to the season. That was because of an injury he picked up during Euro 2020.
But De Bruyne made his return in late September. He put in an excellent display in City’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool, scoring what turned out to be the equaliser. In their next game, he scored the second goal in a 2-0 win over Burnley.
He also played the full 90 minutes in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend, completing more key passes (four) than anyone else on the pitch.
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Current odds: 20/1
The third City player in the top five, Bernardo Silva, would not be featuring on this list at all if his current club had met his desire to leave last summer.
But the skilful Portuguese midfielder eventually stayed at City, and has started this season in fine form.
He has three goals and one assist to his name in 10 appearances, including the second goal of the match against United last weekend.
Like Foden, Silva has been used in several roles by Pep Guardiola. As in previous seasons, he has proved himself adaptable to both central midfield and more advanced positions.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
