Sadio Mane now odds-on to win PFA Player of the Year award

For two years on the trot, it has been Liverpool stars that have scooped the PFA Player of the Year award - the annual prize voted for by members of the players’ trade union.

Mohamed Salah was a deserving winner in 2017-18 after breaking the record for the most goals in a 38-game Premier League season, netting an impressive 32. Last term, it was Dutch centre-back Virgil van Dijk who came out on top as the Reds finished within a point of their first title in 29 years. Their league drought now looks to be coming to an end at long last, as Jurgen Klopp’s side have built a surely insurmountable 14-point lead at the top of the table.

Van Dijk has been at his brilliant best again and Salah has hit double figures in the goals tally already, but neither man is among the favourites to be presented with the PFA award this time around.

At the top of the pack is Senegalese forward Sadio Mane, who at the time of writing is priced as short as 4/5 with some football betting sites. The Liverpool hitman has registered 11 goals and six assists to date, and his season has been typified by game-defining moments such as the stoppage-time winner at Aston Villa and the earning of a last-gasp penalty against Leicester City.

Mane’s biggest competition looks to be coming in the form of Manchester City midfielder, Kevin de Bruyne (7/2), who has bounced back from an injury-ridden 2018-19 campaign to deliver a superb seven-goal, 14-assist season up to now. No City player has ever won the PFA Player of the Year award, despite their four Premier League titles and the staggering numbers put up by Sergio Aguero, who is an outsider at 33/1.

Jamie Vardy is a 10/1 shot, leading the Premier League top scorers chart with 17 but not quite making as big an impact as Mane or De Bruyne overall. Another potential threat to Mane is his Liverpool teammate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is now not only one of the Reds’ most valuable assets, but arguably the best full-back in world football. The England international is priced at 7/1 but this could come down if his performances continue to amaze.

Even if Alexander-Arnold doesn’t take home the main prize, he is a very short 1/4 to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award, which incidentally has been won by City players the last two seasons - Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling. Most contenders for the youngsters’ award this year are English, with Tammy Abraham, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount all hunting down their compatriot.

For those looking to bet on the PFA Awards 2020, there are a number of new customer betting offers in the UK that gives punters the chance to back a selection of players, via either free bets of a matched deposit bonus. The best betting sites for football will all have outright markets for individual awards, as well as other specials on transfers, managers, and players making national squads for major tournaments.

It is worth shopping around for the best football odds before you place a bet, as there can be a big discrepancy between a selection of bookmakers, especially on markets such as awards where there are a lot of longer odds available.