Liverpool centre-back Virgil Van Dijk has been named the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Players’ Player of the Year for 2019.
Virgil Van Dijk succeeds team-mate Mohamed Salah in winning the award after seeing off tough competition from Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling.
Sterling had the consolation of being named Young Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of City team-mate Leroy Sane.
Virgil Van Dijk signed for Liverpool from Southampton for £75million in January 2018 and has been an ever-present rock at the heart of the Premier League’s tightest defence this campaign.
The 27-year-old has helped Liverpool keep 19 clean sheets and concede only 20 times, while also chipping in with three goals. Liverpool have lost just one game in the Premier League this season in a title race with champions Manchester City which is set to go down to the final day of the season.
He said: “It’s pretty difficult to put into words. I think it’s the highest honour you can get as a player to get voted player of the year by the players you play against every week. It’s special.
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I’m very proud and honoured to receive it.” Only two defenders have previously won the award and the Dutchman added: “If you see the standard of strikers or playmakers we have in the league, it’s unbelievable. “If you see the shortlist and quality there is, it’s very special that the players in the league voted for me. I won’t take it for granted.
It’s just very special.” Van Dijk was chosen from a shortlist made up of team-mate Sadio Mane, the Manchester City trio of Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
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