The 2020/21 Premier League season will always be a memorable one, if not for the football played but for the omission of supporters for the majority of the campaign.
The lack of a real title race in Manchester City’s dominance and the relegations of Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion before the final three games has seen the season end with something of a whimper. The most excitement provided for the neutral has arguably come through the congested battle for European places.
One of the other elements of the season that is still waiting to be decided is the PFA Player of the Year. Voted for by the players, it is the most prestigious individual award for a Premier League player to win and there remains an element of mystery around the identity of the recipient.
In previous years there has been a level of inevitably about many of the winners, particularly in 2017 and 2018 when N’Golo Kante and Mohamed Salah picked up the award respectively. 2019 and 2020 saw the personal battle between Virgil van Dijk and Kevin De Bruyne as the pair both picked up one trophy apiece.
This time around there are a number of contenders for the trophy and though there is a favourite, it’s still not clear cut where the voting will land. Last year’s winner De Bruyne doesn’t appear to be in the running this time around, though the bookies are clearly leaning towards the trophy staying in Manchester.
We have featured the top contenders below alongside their current odds of winning the PFA Player of the Year crown. Be sure to visit Max Free Bets before placing any wagers. Their site features all of the best betting offers and free bets from the top online bookmakers and is a one-stop shop for all of your betting needs.
Ruben Dias – 8/11
Ruben Dias is the betting favourite to win the award in what is his first season at Manchester City. Signing for £60m last summer, Dias has proven to be the answer to City’s defensive issues after an outstanding campaign. Forming a solid partnership with a rejuvenated John Stones, Dias has unarguably been the club’s best defender since Vince Kompany and has dislodged Aymeric Laporte from their regular starting XI.
Having only just turned 24-years-old Dias still has enormous room for growth and looks to be in the best possible place for it. An aggressive, front-foot defender that can also play out from the back, Dias has made a huge impact at the Etihad Stadium. Salah, Kante and Ruud van Nistelrooy are the only other players to win the award in their first season with a club since 2000 and he has the opportunity to become the first defender to do so this century.
Bruno Fernandes – 7/4
The closest competitor to Dias is Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The signing of Fernandes in January 2020 has proven to be the catalyst for significant improvement at Old Trafford. United have achieved back-to-back top-four finishes in the last two seasons and have closed the gap to Manchester City, as well as surpassing last season’s champions Liverpool. Fernandes has been their leading man with an impressive 18 goals and 11 assists in 36 league appearances, whilst bagging 28 goals in all competitions at the time of writing.
The 26-year-old has been United’s standout player in what has been another progressive season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his numbers are difficult to ignore. The odds are leaning in Dias’ favour perhaps due to his team’s overall success this season; City could be on for a historic treble with a win over Chelsea in the Champions League Final. Despite that, nobody could begrudge Fernandes winning the trophy and there is an argument to be made that he is more important to his team than Dias.
Harry Kane – 13/2
Despite it being a disappointing campaign for Tottenham, Harry Kane has enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career. The England captain will enter this summer’s European Championships off the back of a rich vein of form and has, at the time of writing, 22 goals and 13 assists to his name in the Premier League. 35 goal involvements in 33 appearances is an extremely impressive return, particularly whilst playing in a team that has ultimately disappointed this season. Kane has been directly involved in more than half of his team’s goals in the Premier League this term.
This summer looks to be a seminal moment in Kane’s career as he approaches the Euros and a pivotal decision regarding his club future. There will certainly be no shortage of suitors for his services, though the list that would be willing to pay Daniel Levy’s likely astronomical asking price will be far shorter. Winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2015, Kane has never claimed the senior award despite being a member of the PFA Team of the Year in four different seasons. The race for the Golden Boot will go right down to the wire as Kane fights it out with Salah once again for the crown of being top goalscorer, though he would undoubtedly swap all individual recognition for team silverware.
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