PFA player of the year betting tips: The leading contenders

The PFA Player of the Year Award seems to be a three-horse race between Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias and Harry Kane, with current holder Kevin De Bruyne next in line.

Here we look at the merits of the leading contenders to win the award, announced on May 20, to help with your PFA player of the year betting tips.

Bruno Fernandes

The Manchester United star signed from Sporting Lisbon for an initial £46.6million transfer fee at the start of 2020 and has been an unheralded success in almost 18 months with the club.

Fernandes scored 12 times in all competitions in his debut season but he is pushing Kane and Mohamed Salah hard in the race for the Golden Boot with 17 Premier League goals, nine of which have come from the penalty spot.

The 26-year-old midfielder also figures prominently in the assists table with 11, just two fewer than top dog Kane, so his all-round game means he is the favourite to become the first Portuguese to win the award since Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2007-08 season.

Nine of his 27 goals in all competitions have come in the Champions League and Europa League, including doubles against Real Sociedad and Roma.

Ruben Dias

Dias has been nothing short of sensational since joining the club in a £65million deal from Benfica and it has not taken long for pundits and fans to compare him with club legend Vincent Kompany.

The 23-year-old centre-back has formed an almost telepathic partnership with John Stones in the heart of defence and since making his debut against Leeds back in September, City have kept 18 clean sheets, 16 of which have involved Dias.

The Portugal international scored his one and only goal for the club in a 2-1 win against West Ham in February when fittingly Stones scored a second-half winner.

In January, Pep Guardiola said this of Dias: “His abilities and understanding of the game is incredible – he wants to learn and all of us are impressed with his body and mind.

“Every day he’s in the gym early in the morning, making his routine, eating perfectly – he lives 24 hours for this profession.

“He’s a guy who can play every three days and his recovery is immediate, when you have a player like that it is a sign of how important he is for a team.”

Harry Kane

The England captain tops the charts for both goals and assists in the Premier League this season yet is only third favourite to finally get his hands on the PFA Player of the Year Award.

The Tottenham striker leads the race for the Golden Boot with 21 goals but he has been playing a deeper role for Spurs this season and has provided 13 assists, mainly for Son Heung-min whose understanding with his team-mate was breathtaking in the first half of the season.

Kane is just one goal away from making it to 30 in all competitions and his indefatigable displays, especially under former manager Jose Mourinho, mean he could get the vote from his fellow pros.