Champions Man City and runners-up Liverpool dominate the PFA Team of the Year with NINE players picked… so, with Son missing out, who are the other two Premier League stars to make it?
- The team picked by players includes six from Liverpool and three from City
- Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne were among those selected
- Just two players on the list came from clubs outside of the title challengers
- Chelsea and Manchester United are also represented in the Team of the Year
- The omission of Tottenham’s Son Heung-min caused a stir on social media
Manchester City and Liverpool have dominated this season’s PFA Team of the Year as nine of the 11 players selected come from the respective champions and runners-up.
Six Liverpool players were chosen, with three coming from City and one each from Chelsea and Manchester United.
But there was no place for the likes of Tottenham duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who ended the season as joint top goalscorer with Mohamed Salah.
Kevin De Bruyne (centre) and Bernardo Silva (left) were named in the PFA Team of the Year
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have also been chosen for the 2021-22 XI
Manchester City and Liverpool have dominated this season’s PFA Team of the Year
Goalkeeper Alisson, defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, midfielder Thiago Alcantara, and forwards Salah and Sadio Mane were voted in to the divisional XI by their fellow players.
Full-back Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva are the City players picked for the side.
Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who has left the club to join Real Madrid, and Cristiano Ronaldo are the only non-Liverpool or City players in the team.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (right) is also part of the six Liverpool players named in the line-up
The inclusion of more from Liverpool than Pep Guardiola’s side comes despite City pipping Jurgen Klopp’s men to the Premier League title – although polling closed long before the end of the season.
Liverpool finished a point adrift of City, who clinched their fourth Premier League crown in five seasons after coming from behind to beat Aston Villa on a dramatic final day.
But the Reds claimed two trophies having won the League Cup and FA Cup, while they were also runners-up in the Champions League after suffering defeat by Real Madrid.
Salah ended the season as joint top-scorer with Son as both players netted 23 goals.
The Egyptian also landed the Premier League’s playmaker award after racking up 13 assists.
Mane finished the campaign with 16 league goals and four assists but is set to leave the club for Bayern Munich in the summer.
Alisson was chosen as the goalkeeper of the Team of the Year after recording 20 clean sheets in 36 appearances for the Reds to earn the Golden Glove alongside City’s Ederson.
It was another impressive season for Alexander-Arnold, who racked up a total of 19 assists in all competitions, while Cancelo scored three goals and set up 10 to help City to the title.
German international Rudiger was the stand-out performer for Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who finished third behind Liverpool and champions City.
Van Dijk was a shoo-in for the PFA Team of the Year as he justified his status as one of the world’s best defenders with a superb season for Klopp’s side.
In midfield, De Bruyne, who scored 15 goals and eight assists, is joined by Thiago – a key member of Klopp’s team – and Silva, who racked up 13 goals and eight assists.
Ronaldo has been chosen despite United’s dismal campaign as they failed to qualify for the Champions League and ended with their lowest Premier League points tally.
The full Premier League Team of the Year was unveiled at a virtual PFA awards on Thursday
The Portuguese striker was United’s top scorer, amassing 18 league goals and three assists.
Son failing to make the team was criticised on social media. ‘No Son in this team is criminal,’ one fan said, with a second blasting Son not making the side as a ‘disgrace’.
Another added: ‘Ronaldo and Mane over Son?’, while a third simply asked: ‘Where’s Son?’
‘Son won the golden boot with no penalties ffs,’ a fourth Twitter user said.
Fans on social media were unhappy that Son was not chosen in the divisional XI
