Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah named Premier League Player of the Season for second time

LONDON – Mohamed Salah was named the English Premier League Player of the Season on May 24 after the Egyptian enjoyed a stellar individual campaign as Liverpool cruised to their second Premier League title.

Teammate Ryan Gravenberch was named the Young Player of the Season, with the 23-year-old Dutch midfielder playing a crucial role as a shield for the Reds’ backline with a league-high 59 interceptions this season.

Salah scored 28 goals and provided 18 assists to guide the Anfield club

to the title

, with Arne Slot’s side winning it with four games to spare. The Reds will be presented with the trophy after their final game against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 25.

Having also earned the award in 2017-18, Salah became only the fifth player to win it twice after Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Kevin de Bruyne.

The 32-year-old is on course to win another Golden Boot and is five strikes ahead of Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak going into the final day of the season.

No player has had 46 goal involvements in a 38-game season and Salah could even break the record of 47 held by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, who achieved the feat in a 42-game campaign.

With six more assists than any other player, Salah can become the first footballer to win the Golden Boot, Golden Playmaker and Player of the Season awards in the same campaign.

Salah, who also won the Football Writers’ Association men’s Player of the Year for the third time earlier in May, said in an interview with Sky Sports this week that he feels this is his best chance to clinch the Ballon d’Or.

“I would say I never had a season like this and winning big trophies, so I would say this is my best chance to get it right now while I’m in the club because it’s been a crazy year, a crazy season with a trophy,” he said. “It’s given me a good chance.”

Separately, Slot said Trent Alexander-Arnold “deserves” to be part of Liverpool’s title celebrations, despite revealing he was unhappy with the defender’s performances in training at the start of the season.

The England fullback announced his decision to quit his boyhood club earlier in May and is widely expected to join Real Madrid.

He was

booed by Liverpool fans

when he came on as a second-half substitute in last week’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at Anfield and did not play in the 3-2 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion on May 19.

Slot has not decided on the extent of the right-back’s involvement against Palace, but said “this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy”.

“It’s been 35 years, everybody is waiting for this moment,” he added, referring to Liverpool lifting the 2020 Premier League trophy behind closed doors due to Covid-19 restrictions. Their previous English top-flight title came in 1990.

While Slot hopes Alexander-Arnold gets a fond farewell from fans, he was critical about the right-back’s efforts in training at the start of the season.

“I said to him, ‘You are a better defender than everybody tells you, but unfortunately you don’t show it all the time’,” he said. REUTERS, AFP