All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has refused to back Erik ten Hag staying next season as he reiterates it is 'not our job'.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man Utd scrape past Coventry on penaltiesErik ten Hag's future at the club questionedBruno Fernandes refuses to back DutchmanGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Ten Hag's Manchester United barely scraped past Championship side Coventry City on penalties in the FA Cup semi-final despite having held a three-goal lead at one point. The disastrous collapse has put further questions on the Dutchman's continuance at the helm of the Red Devils past this summer. Fernandes has revealed that he and the dressing room are not thinking about Ten Hag and his future as co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will "take care of that".

AdvertisementWHAT FERNANDES SAID

Speaking to the media after the win over Coventry, the Man Utd captain said [via The Mirror]: "That doesn't have to affect anyone because we have to focus on everything we have this season because we have still chances to get in European positions in the league, we have to finish as high as possible, that's the main thing.

"Then we have an FA Cup final to play. So no one has to be worried because it's not our job to be worried about these things that come from the outside or the inside or whatever. We have the owners who take care of that, we have the directors and then we players it's about performing on the pitch and giving our best."

(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Red Devils do indeed have it all to play for still as they find themselves seventh in the league and will find the Champions League qualification a step too far given they sit 16 points off Aston Villa. However, the Europa League could be a very attainable target for Ten Hag's men with six Premier League games to go until the end of the season.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

It seems that winning the FA Cup final on May 25 could be Ten Hag's last shot at remaining with the Red Devils next season. The club will next be in action when they take on relegation-battlers Sheffield United on Wednesday, April 24.

After White carried Victoria to 424 for 9 declared, Boland rattled Western Australia’s reply with three strikes

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2018
Cameron White’s century and three wickets from Scott Boland put Victoria in charge of the Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the MCG.White scored his 22nd first class century as Victoria piled up 9 for 424 before declaring early in the afternoon. White lost opener Nic Maddinson early in the day for a fabulous 162 but he got good support from wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Harper who made 39.White fell to a stunning catch from Hilton Cartwright peddling back from mid-on. David Moody picked up three of the last four wickets of the innings including White, Harper and James Pattinson.D’Arcy Short made a rollicking start in WA’s innings, striking six boundaries in quick time before Scott Boland and Chris Tremain turned the screws. Tremain knocked over Jon Wells before Boland claimed Cartwright, Mitchell Marsh and Short to leave the Warriors 4 for 96.Marsh was caught behind trying to defend wide of his off stump, while Short fell to a sharp catch from White at second slip after slashing hard off the back foot.The Warriors slumped to 5 for 112 when Marcus Stoinis holed out to mid-on trying to hit Jon Holland into the stands. Ashton Turner and Will Bosisto then steadied the innings with an unbroken 58-run stand to get the Warriors through to stumps but they are still 254 runs behind.

Everton manager Sean Dyche took his side's ten-point deduction with a shrug of the shoulders and the kind of galvanising stoicism that has been a trademark of his demeanour and deceptive charisma on the Premier League scene.

The Toffees lost 3-0 to Manchester United after the deduction but then won away against Nottingham Forest to move within two points of 17th-placed Luton Town – technically, Everton have 17 points right now, two off tenth-placed Chelsea.

There is every confidence that the ship will be steered back on course, but Dyche would be wise to make a shrewd investment in the January transfer window, and Lyon's Jake O'Brien could be the man.

Everton transfer news – Jake O'Brien

According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Everton are 'thinking' of making a winter swoop for the defender as Dyche looks to strengthen his relegation-threatened squad.

O'Brien joined the struggling French club from Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £1m in the summer, and while he has impressed recently, the Merseysiders could look to lure him back across the channel.

Jake O'Brien's style of play

Self-described as a "ball-playing centre-back who likes to bring the ball out and distribute", as well as noting his Irish "fighting spirit", O'Brien didn't feature across Lyon's opening five league matches but has since started seven times in succession, remarkably scoring three goals – including a recent brace against Lens.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for pass completion and the top 15% for touches in the attacking box per 90, underpinning his offensive style.

Having scored three goals in Ligue 1, the Irishman has actually outscored Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison this term having played fewer league matches, with the Brazilian forward scoring two Premier League goals since the start of last term.

Richarlison, who joined Spurs from Everton for £60m in 2022, was an immense talisman for the Merseyside outfit but has struggled to impress in London.

While James Tarkowski, aged 31, has been brilliant under Dyche's wing this season and certainly isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future, O'Brien could be brought in to succeed the one-time Burnley titan.

Perhaps even forming a dynamic partnership with Jarrad Branthwaite, who's turning out to be quite the player.

Imagine Jake O'Brien & Jarrad Branthwaite

After Everton felled the Tricky Trees at the City Ground, talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded another "superb performance" from Branthwaite, saying: "Everton's biggest jewel. A very complete CB profile for such a young age. Definitely should be on the radar of Gareth Southgate and many TOP European clubs."

Branthwaite completed a loan spell with PSV Eindhoven last season and has returned to Goodison Park with so much to praise, starting 12 Premier League matches and remarkably averaging 2.1 tackles, 5.1 clearances and 7.4 ball recoveries per game, winning 63% of his duels, as per Sofascore.

As the chart highlights above, the 6 foot 5 titan is fantastic across all of his defensive metrics but tends to stray away from offensive movements.

That's okay though, with the notion that all defenders in this modern age of football require ball-playing skills to make Johan Cruyff tip his hat simply untrue – an industrious and iron-solid star such as Branthwaite is perfect in protecting the Toffees goal.

And with the 6 foot 6 O'Brien offering a divergence in traditional style, Dyche's prospective partnership could work wonders in continuing Everton's evolution after a period of great turmoil.

The road ahead is rocky, no question, but amid all of the chaos there is a sense that Everton are headed toward greener pastures, and O'Brien would be an excellent addition to the project.

On a pitch made for fast bowling, the offspinner bamboozled Perth Scorchers before Burns and Cutting powered through the chase

The Report by Alex Malcolm05-Jan-2019A magical spell from Mujeeb Ur Rahman helped Brisbane Heat break their drought in the 2018-19 BBL, as they beat the struggling Perth Scorchers at the Perth Stadium.On a pitch purpose-built for fast bowling, Mujeeb’s mystery spin completely bamboozled the Scorchers top order after they were sent in to bat. He took 2 for 10 in four overs, which included two wides. The Scorchers, at one stage, looked like they might not muster 120. But another gem from Ashton Turner gave them a target to bowl at. Turner made 47 from 30 balls when no other Scorchers batsman struck at better than a run-a-ball.Nathan Coulter-Nile, having been left out of the Australian ODI side due to fitness concerns, made a statement with the ball, taking 3 for 25 to give the Scorchers a chance. But some powerful hitting from Ben Cutting and Joe Burns saw the Heat home with 10 balls to spare to get them off the bottom of the table.Mujeeb the magicianIn the previous game at Perth Stadium, such was the fire and pace in the pitch that the Scorchers did not bowl a single over of spin. The Heat decided to bowl Mujeeb twice in the Powerplay, and it paid dividends. Michael Klinger and Cameron Bancroft, Scorchers’ fifth opening combination in six games, were extremely cautious. Mujeeb conceded five runs in 12 balls, two of them to wides. Klinger and Bancroft got the Scorchers through the Powerplay unscathed, but their 56-run partnership chewed up 8.3 overs, before Bancroft holed out for 26 off 27 balls. Mujeeb returned in the 10th over and baffled Klinger, nearly bowling him with a wrong ‘un before deceiving him with a leg break to have him stumped by a mile. Mitchell Marsh struggled to get going, scoring 11 off 16 balls before Mujeeb bowled his last over in the 15th. He had Marsh caught at backward point first ball. Mujeeb’s figures were the joint second-most economical figures by a Heat bowler in BBL cricket, and the Scorchers were in a huge hole with the run-rate at just six per over.Cameron Bancroft goes for a big one•Getty ImagesUmpire indecisionAshton Turner held the key again. He struck the only three boundaries between the end of the Powerplay and the start of the 19th over. His placement and running between the wickets were excellent again as he tried to make up for Marsh and Ashton Agar’s struggles. He had reached 35 off 24 balls, and the total 5 for 120, with seven balls left. He was facing the express James Pattinson and took a wild swing at a length ball, appearing to get a huge nick to keeper Jimmy Peirson. Heat were convinced. The umpire shaped to raise his finger and then changed his mind and shook his head. Pattinson and his skipper Chris Lynn were livid. The non-decision allowed Turner to score 12 runs in the last over, including a powerful cover drive and an outrageous scoop over the keeper’s head for six before he fell for 47 from 30 balls. It helped raise the total to 6 for 135, but it came at a cost, with Turner reaggravating a right shoulder injury that has plagued him in recent years. He was unable to field in the second innings.Coulter-Nile fires upNathan Coulter-Nile was left out of the Australian ODI squad for the series against India due to “back soreness”. But he told pre-game that he felt there might have been a slight communication breakdown between the selectors, the medical staff and himself. He did note that he had a scan on his sore back after the ODI squad was announced, but was cleared to play for the Scorchers. He took two key wickets in the Powerplay, forcing Max Bryant and Brendon McCullum to both miscue to mid-on by generating bounce. He cranked it up to speeds above 140kph. Lynn and Matthew Renshaw steadied with a decent partnership of 39, although Lynn had a lot of luck, including Klinger dropping a simple catch. Jhye Richardson finally claimed Lynn, with Klinger making amends under a skier. Jason Behrendorff trapped Renshaw in front, before Coulter-Nile returned to find Peirson’s outside edge to give the Scorchers an outside chance.Cutting cuts looseThe Heat needed 43 runs from 42 balls with five wickets in hand. That became 29 from 21 after Joe Burns and Ben Cutting scored one boundary in 3.3 overs and absorbed 10 dots between them. Burns released the pressure with a huge slog sweep for six off Agar. Cutting took strike to Richardson, with Heat needing 21 from 18 balls. He had been struggling with a back complaint. He decided to stand and swing. He hit 20 off the over. The first strike was one of the biggest of the tournament, into the upper deck of the Perth Stadium at square leg. He then lasered two cover-drives and finished the over with a powerful blow straight to the sightscreen off a low full toss to level the scores with two overs left. Burns found the winning runs when he attempted to hook AJ Tye and the ball ricocheted off the helmet to third man.

Cole Palmer has not been included in Chelsea's matchday squad to face Arsenal despite playing in their FA Cup loss to Manchester City at the weekend.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Arsenal host Chelsea in Premier LeaguePalmer played in FA Cup loss to Man CityBut not included in squad to face GunnersWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international completed 90 minutes on Saturday as the Blues lost 1-0 to City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley. However, he is not on Chelsea's bench for Tuesday night's trip to the Emirates – let alone in the starting lineup. So why is he not featuring in this London derby?

AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION

On Monday, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino revealed the 21-year-old had been suffering from illness since that match. That has kept him out of team training, with the Argentine admitting he would make a late call over the former City youngster. Now, it has become clear Chelsea's top scorer, who has bagged 20 league goals this season, has not recovered in time for the encounter.

WHAT MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAID

On Monday, the former Tottenham boss said on Palmer: "We need to assess tomorrow (Tuesday) morning but today I don’t believe he can be involved. We need to assess tomorrow and then decide. Even if he is feeling better tomorrow, maybe he is not in a condition to play. We hope he recovers from this situation and can be involved again as soon as possible. With or without Cole we always believe we can win. The most important thing is the team and the collective. He is an important part of the team and is doing fantastic for us, but we are Chelsea and we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesTHE BIG PICTURE

In a season that promised so much but delivered so little, Palmer has been one of the few positives at Stamford Bridge. The £42.5 million ($53m) recruit from City has scored 23 goals and bagged 13 assists in all competitions and without him they would be nowhere near trying to qualify for Europe. In truth, they would have been closer to the relegation zone than the top seven. Therefore, his presence may be sorely missed against Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is in the market for additions come the New Year and reportedly has a talented youngster in his sights at the City Ground, according to a report.

Steve Cooper's Forest future in doubt

Forest were embroiled in a dramatic affair against Brighton & Hove Albion at the City Ground that ended in an unfortunate 3-2 defeat, as goals from Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White weren't enough to prevent losing out as Evan Ferguson's smart finish and a double from Joao Pedro sealed all three points for the visitors.

In the aftermath of the affair, The Daily Mail ran a story that claims Welsh boss Cooper is now under pressure from the Tricky Trees' ambitious hierarchy, with owner Evangelos Marinakis said to be growing frustrated with his side's recent form. Despite Nottingham Forest's defeat at the weekend, Cooper looks to have retained decent support from his club's fanbase; however, the outlet state that he will need to find a way to beat Everton this weekend at the City Ground to give himself further security.

On the face of it, sacking Cooper would be judged by many as a harsh call, given that he kept the Reds in the top flight in his debut Premier League campaign and currently has them sitting 14th in the division with 13 points from 13 fixtures.

Nevertheless, the English game resembles a revolving door concerning managers losing their positions every few months as owners look to get one step ahead in their ambitions to reach the top, which seemingly no coach is immune from in the cold light of day.

Nottingham Forest's recent Premier League results

Opponent & result

Venue

Nottingham Forest 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion

City Ground

West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

London Stadium

Nottingham Forest 2-0 Aston Villa

City Ground

Liverpool 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Anfield

Nottingham Forest 2-2 Luton Town

City Ground

Casting an eye to January, Nottingham Forest are believed to be eyeing up an economically advantageous deal for a bright young star. However, they will face interest from other clubs in his services.

Nottingham Forest want Rocco Vata

According to The Daily Record, Nottingham Forest are keen on Celtic prospect Rocco Vata, after they had an offer turned down in the summer transfer window.

Italian sides Frosinone and Torino are also showing interest in the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international, who is out of contract in 2024 and could be available for a development fee of just £350,000 as his future north of the border continues to remain unresolved.

Labelled "exciting" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Vata has been in brilliant form for Celtic B throughout the course of this campaign, notching ten goals in 13 appearances across all competitions (Vata statistics – Transfermarkt).

The 18-year-old has also featured four times for Celtic's senior side as his stock continues to rise. Despite this, an exit from the Hoops could be on the cards for Vata and he is unlikely to be short of suitors as his situation at Parkhead becomes more and more perilous.

Awoniyi replacement found in Nottingham Forest's dream starting XI after Jan

Cooper needs to find a replacement for injured top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi in January…

ByTom Griffin Nov 26, 2023

It has been revealed that Chelsea compiled 62 scouting reports on Jude Bellingham, which included a “FIFA reel”, only to miss out on his signature.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Midfielder caught the eye at BirminghamAlways destined to become a superstarBlues had hoped to acquire that potentialGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues were among those to spot Bellingham’s potential early on, with it clear for all to see that the Birmingham native was going to be a superstar. He made his senior debut at the age of 16 and is now on the books of Real Madrid, having become a full England international at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

AdvertisementWHAT SCOUT SAID

Chelsea had hoped to be the ones benefiting from the Golden Boy winner's many talents, with a lot of time and effort spent monitoring his progress. Yousuf Saijad, who worked as a scout at Stamford Bridge before spending time with Arsenal and FC Den Bosch, has told the YouTube channel: “We had a really good scouting team that worked across the top players, like Jude Bellingham for example, who was probably the most work I’ve ever done on a player in that season that we tried to sign Jude. We had reports on him from when he was an Under-12 and all the way up to Under-16 when he was Birmingham. We had like 62 reports from 25 different scouts and so when we got to a point where we felt like we wanted to sign him it was about how can we make what we present to him different from every other top club?

“So we had all of the content that we needed from Under-12 to Under-16 from a reporting perspective so let’s try and create trends on what’s stayed the same for him as a player – such as his celebration – but at the same time pick up what he has developed and what he still needs to develop. We then attached that with footage and had a real long video of him playing at 12, 13, 14 and all the way up and highlighting those traits and then at the end we’d put him on a FIFA reel in a Chelsea kit and trying to think outside the box really. I spent a lot of my time on the end part where we were making decisions, presenting that information to players, collecting information and making it as unique as possible to get a deal over the line. He was always on our radar from the moment I joined as a top talent to keep an eye on. Of course in terms of recruiting he was outside of distance at the younger ages but got to Under-14 and we had a full-time schools programme so it was easier at the time but he didn’t want to move. We just continuously followed him. He was always a player who we rated highly and was always on our radar.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pressed further on why Bellingham ended up in Dortmund, instead of west London, Saijad added: “It was a time when there wasn’t a pathway. There wasn’t many examples at that point where he could say this would be a good move for me to join. To be fair, you understand it in the end because he obviously chose the right path for himself because of what he’s doing now, but at the time we had Tino Anjorin who was flying at the time, Mason Mount and players in and around his position that were also of a real good level. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to come in and compete but more just thinking at the time ‘if they’re not making it at this point then maybe I need to pick a different option’.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT?

Bellingham left Birmingham for Dortmund in 2020, going on to take in 132 appearances for BVB. His stock soared to the point that a €103 million (£88m/$110m) move to Real Madrid was made in 2023, with the 20-year-old reaching the 20-goal mark in his debut campaign at Santiago Bernabeu.

South Africa demonstrated the ruthless instinct that has brought them seven straight series win at home, rounding up the seven Pakistan wickets they needed before lunch

The Report by Alan Gardner14-Jan-2019South Africa demonstrated the ruthless instinct that has brought them seven straight series win at home, rounding up the seven Pakistan wickets they needed before lunch on day four at the Wanderers. Duanne Olivier made the early inroads, taking his wicket tally for the series to 24, before Kagiso Rabada scythed through the tail to help confirm a 3-0 whitewash.Pakistan did manage to breach the 200-mark for the only the second time in six innings, but that was small consolation as they fell to another heavy defeat. Asad Shafiq top-scored with 65 from 71 and there was some devil-may-care hitting lower down, though little to suggest the tourists ever harboured serious hopes of chasing 381 for a consolation victory.While the efforts of the top order on the third evening declared that Pakistan were not willing to run up the white flag in their last act of the series, it did not take long for them to buckle once play had resumed. For the second time in the match, Olivier found himself on a hat-trick and when Shafiq’s punchy innings was ended by Vernon Philander a few overs later, the bulk of South Africa’s hard work had been done.Babar Azam is one player who has left a mark on South Africa – just ask Dale Steyn – but he could do little about the Olivier throat ball he received in the third over of the morning, a pawing, snorting delivery worthy of the Bullring that flicked the bottom glove on its way through. Sarfraz Ahmed was then bluffed out first ball, hanging back for the short one only for Olivier to hit the top of off stump as the bat came belatedly into line.There was a second fifty of the series for Shafiq – although 185 runs at 31.00 was an underwhelming return for one of Pakistan’s senior batsmen – and a few more retaliatory boundaries before he walked down at Philander and diverted tamely to second slip.With Pakistan now 179 for 6 little more than half an hour into the morning session, and the target a hazy dot on the Highveld horizon, the rest was mostly formality. Shadab Khan had negotiated Olivier’s hat-trick delivery by sending a compact drive back down the ground for four, and he added 25 in partnership with Faheem Ashraf, before the latter’s fun was ended by an excellent diving catch at gully from Aiden Markram.The same combination of Markram and Rabada removed Mohammad Amir two overs later, bat dangled apologetically in the channel, and although Hasan Ali made merry while hitting two fours and a six in 22 of 14, he soon sent up a steepling caught-and-bowled chance for Rabada to swallow.Shadab demonstrated a correct technique and some enterprising strokes, hitting seven fours to move within sight of a fourth Test fifty. However, having put on 31 for the last wicket with Mohammad Abbas, forcing the lunch interval to be pushed back, an impetuous call by the No. 11 ended Pakistan’s resistance via a run-out.

Liverpool are reportedly in the race to sign a "fantastic" young talent with a big future in the game, with the Reds thought to be "drooling" over him currently.

Liverpool transfer rumours

It remains to be seen if the Reds will make signings in the January transfer window or not, with the decision ultimately falling to Jurgen Klopp, who may simply be happy to get by with the current options at his disposal.

Liverpool have certainly been linked with plenty of players in the last few weeks, however, with a mix of defensive and midfield targets mooted as possible options, in order to increase their hopes of winning the Premier League title this season.

At the back, Goncalo Inacio is the player who seems to be backed to move to Anfield more than most, although it could be difficult to snap up the influential Sporting CP star midway through the season. Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, who was denied brilliantly by Alisson last weekend, is another name who has been mentioned.

Meanwhile, Fluminense ace Andre has been seen as a long-time target in the middle of the park, while talk of a move for Fulham's Joao Palhinha has also emerged again of late.

Liverpool want Leny Yoro

Another transfer rumour has now dropped, with Le10Sport [via Sport Witness] saying that Liverpool are very much in the race to sign Lille centre-back Leni Yoro, who is a highly-rated young player.

The Reds are apparently "drooling" over the 18-year-old, especially as Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip are "not eternal" in terms of age, considering both are now 32. There are "several profiles in mind" when it comes to eyeing up potential signings, and Yoro falls into one of the categories, with the Reds "determined" to play a role in his future.

Manchester City and Manchester United are both mentioned as potential suitors, however, so there could be a fierce battle to acquire the Frenchman's signature.

Liverpool could do with looking into signing a new centre-back in January or next summer, given the aforementioned advancing years of Van Dijk and Matip, not to mention the fact that both Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez have not been without injury problems down the years.

Yoro could be a perfect signing for the Reds, with the Lille starlet a player of so much long-term promise, but also someone who could immediately arrive as a strong squad option for Klopp.

Appearances

14

Goals

2

Clearances per game

3.0

Aerial duel wins per game

1.7

Pass completion rate

90.7%

He has been described as a "fantastic" player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and at just 18 years of age, he may only go on to grow as the years pass, assuming he remains focused and avoids serious injury. The fact that other Premier League rivals are interested means that it may not be easy for Liverpool to get their man, but the chance to work alongside Klopp could be a huge lure for Yoro, and his compatriot Konate could even do his best to sell the club to him.

The Premier League have revealed the eight nominees for this season's Player of the Season Award.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Premier League Player of the Year shortlist revealedMan City and Arsenal players dominateOllie Watkins and Alexander Isak also nominatedWHAT HAPPENED?

The nominees for this year's Premier League Player of the Season award have been revealed, with Arsenal and Manchester City players unsurprisingly dominating the shortlist. Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice are in contention along with Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. Also up for the award are Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, Chelsea forward Cole Palmer and Newcastle attacker Alexander Isak.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The annoucement comes with Arsenal and Manchester City still battling it out for the Premier League title in the final weeks of the season. The Gunners currently sit top of the pile by a point from City, but Pep Guardiola's side crucially have a game in hand on their rivals and therefore have the destiny of the title in their own hands. Elsewhere, free-scoring forwards Isak, Palmer and Watkins have all been recognised for their impressive campaigns.

DID YOU KNOW?

Manchester City have won the award for the last four years in a row. Haaland claimed the prize last season, Kevin De Bruyne won in 2019-20 and 2021-22, while Ruben Dias claimed victory in the 2020-21 campaign.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT

The Premier League title race resumes at the weekend with Manchester City up first on Saturday against Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Arsenal must wait until Sunday when they play Manchester United at Old Trafford.