As the Premier League season draws to a close, Gary Neville dished out a few accolades on Monday Night Football.
The Sky Sports expert chose his top player and manager from the 20117/18 Premier League season, as well as picking his most improved player from the campaign.
He also chooses his goal, save and moment of the season – plus the top young player and signing – as well as a player they he cannot wait to watch next term…
Here are his awards, plus the results of our public polls…
Manager of the Season
Nev’s pick: Pep Guardiola (Man City)
“Roy Hodgson deserves a mention for the job he has done at Crystal Palace; Sean Dyche comes very close; Mauricio Pochettino, given his spend, has achieved a level of consistency; and Jurgen Klopp has had a great season and if they go on to win the Champions League you could argue it could be him.
“Right now it’s Pep Gaurdiola for the outstanding football Man City have produced in winning the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. “
Public’s pick: Sean Dyche (Burnley)
Player of the Season
Nev’s pick: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
“It was down to Salah and De Bruyne and you couldn’t argue with either of them. For me this season, all the way through Salah is absolutely incredible but I’ve always stayed with De Bruyne because he’s brought a level of quality into the Premier League this season that you very rarely see. He has the ability to control a football match and makes David Silva look like the second best central midfield player at Manchester City, which is some statement.
“There aren’t many players who can control the tempo of a football match. People are saying Pep Guardiola’s produced the greatest ever performance from a team in a Premier League season, but if De Bruyne had been taken out of it I don’t think it would have happened. It is that big.”
Public’s pick: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Young Player of the Season
Nev’s pick: Leroy Sane (Man City)
“It’s a no-brainer. He’s the young player that is most likely to go on to become one of the top players in the world. Nothing fazes him, he beats players and he can attack from one box to the other. Like Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo or Ryan Giggs he can get from one box to the other in seconds to be able to deliver goals. His positions and movements are now really clever and his improvement year on year is there. I don’t see him dropping that level.”
Public’s pick: Leroy Sane (Man City)
Most improved player
Nev’s pick: Raheem Sterling (Man City)
“It’s Raheem Sterling without a shadow of a doubt. The leap in goals and assists, I didn’t think he was capable of the level of performance we have seen. I could have gone for De Bruyne and Otamendi as well for big shifts from where they were.”
Public’s pick: Raheem Sterling (Man City)
Signing of the Season
Nev’s pick: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
“He is absolutely the signing of the season. He fits what Jurgen Klopp wants and the manager deserves great credit. Klopp signs players that fit his model and he will not move from that. As an ex full-back, Salah would be an absolute nightmare to play against, he makes the right movements all the time. He has had the biggest impact of any player signed last summer.”
Public’s pick: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Goal of the Season
Nev’s pick: Wayne Rooney (Everton) v West Ham
“You don’t see many goals from this distance. It was an absolutely amazing goal. The strike is absolutely incredible. The ball is racing towards Wayne Rooney across his body and you always hear commentators say those are the hardest ones to hit. I don’t think you’d get that right many times, it had to be absolutely perfect. He couldn’t take a touch because Joe Hart would have probably got back, he couldn’t try and lob it because the ball was coming too hard at him and he had one opportunity. He had to ping it absolutely perfect like a three-iron.”
Public’s pick: Vote now
Gary Neville has picked his favourite… but what is yours? Take a look at the Monday Night Football goals of the season
Save of the Season
Nev’s pick: David de Gea (Man Utd) v Liverpool
“When I watch De Gea for United he makes saves that I think nobody else would save. That’s where, for me, he becomes the very, very best. I was at Anfield and it was, for me, the stand-out save of the season from the stand-out goalkeeper. I remember being at the game and thinking it was a goal. It is unbelievable, both the reaction and the speed of the feet and then the speed to get up. Everything about it is absolutely brilliant.”
Gary Neville has picked his favourite… but what is yours? Take a look at the Monday Night Football saves of the season
Public’s pick: Vote now
Moment of the season
Nev’s pick: Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) v Chelsea
“This was just a personal moment. It was the moment of the season where I thought ‘these are good and he’s at a different level’. There was an authority in his performance away at Stamford Bridge against the champions of keeping the ball and the speed and incisiveness of the play and the way in which he took the goal. It was the first time I thought ‘this is a different City’. I remember exactly where I was when that goal went in.”
One to Watch…
Nev’s pick: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
“I want to understand whether this is an absolute freak. I watched him back at Basel and at Chelsea and his stats were getting better, but this season has been a jump from nowhere. Where has it come from? You normally see them growing and to me it’s the most intriguing thing about next season. Is he a 20-goal a season man, which is still a really good player, or is he going to be mentioned in the same light as Messi and Ronaldo? If he goes on to score 43 next season and 40 the year after then he gets into those Messi and Ronaldo numbers.”
Also See:
Sourse: skysports.com
