With Manchester City already confirmed as Premier League champions, much of the talk has turned to which player will be crowned PFA Player of the Year. With both Manchester clubs occupying the top spots in the division, it would be no surprise to see another prize heading to the northwest.
The bookmakers agree with that assumption too. Betfair have some of the best promo codes available for betting on football, including a wide range of Premier League special markets such as this one, top goal scorer, next manager odds and more. Their latest odds see Ruben Dias as the favourite to scoop the PFA award at around Evens (2.0).
Given the remarkable turnaround since the defenders’ arrival at the Etihad Stadium, that support looks justified. Dias signed just days after Leicester had beaten Man City 5-2 in the second game of the campaign. The defeat showcased the need for defensive reinforcements, and Pep Guardiola acted accordingly.
The opening two matches of the league campaign saw City concede six times in total. At the time of writing, in the 34 Premier League matches since Dias arrived from Benfica, City have conceded just 26 goals and kept 18 clean sheets. While the 24-year-old isn’t solely responsible for this stark turnaround, he’s no doubt been one of the cornerstones for another title-winning season at the Etihad.
Another of City’s top performers has been Kevin De Bruyne, who is priced at around 17/10 (2.70) to win Player of the Year. The Belgium internal is the current holder too, having won the prize last season. Having signed a new contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025, the 29-year-old became the highest-paid player in the division, earning a reported £385,000 a week.
De Bruyne hasn’t matched the stats from the 2019/20 campaign, though, with 11 assists and 5 goals, compared to 20 assists and 13 goals a year ago. Although the team have ended up a place higher in the table than they did last season and could be on route to a historic treble, the influential midfielder could fall short of retaining the PFA crown when compared to the impact of Dias.
The closest challenger to City’s duo looks to be Bruno Fernandes at around 4/1 (5.0). Although the Red Devils failed to mount a significant challenge for the title, a second place finish looks secure, and Fernandes has been the most prolific player at Old Trafford. 18 Premier League goals in his first full season at United is an impressive return, especially considering he has also provided 12 assists. Silverware could also be on the way, in the form of the Europa League final where United will face Villarreal in Gdansk.
However, with the prospect of a first-ever Champions League trophy, a significant amount of the votes are set to be cast in the direction of the blue half of Manchester. It’s tough to argue with the odds as Dias, and De Bruyne do battle to be crowned the best player in the Premier League this season.
