Kompany: KDB deserved PotY, but Salah award is ‘important’

Matt Stead

Vincent Kompany believes Kevin de Bruyne should have won the PFA Premier League Player of the Year award, but that it is “important” for Mohamed Salah to have received the recognition.

Salah pipped De Bruyne to the crown after scoring 43 goals in his first season at Liverpool.

De Bruyne has been the best player for the best team in the top flight this campaign, assisting a league-high 15 goals.

Kompany feels Manchester City’s “master brain” should have won the award, but accepts that it will have a “big impact” for Salah to have claimed it.

“I’m going to be biased. I’m going to say yes, of course,” he told CNN when asked whether De Bruyne was the most worthy recipient.

“But how can you take away from Salah what he’s achieved? He’s an African player, which I’m happy about as well.

“It’s important for a lot of [reasons]. It’s going to have a big impact in his country and for the continent as well. But Kevin is a master brain of football.

“The way he sees and understands the game is beyond what you can see in terms of ability from any player and that’s why it’s difficult to categorize Kevin’s performance.

“If you take the full package, the passes, the amount of actions he’s made that were so clever and different from what anyone else would’ve done you would put him on another level.”