With the Premier League back in full swing this weekend following the mid-season break, the bookmakers have released their latest odds for the PFA Player of the Year award. Oddschecker has revealed that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is currently leading the race to win the prestigious honour after being priced at 11/1o. Both Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mane are presently trailing their club captain as they are listed at 7/2 and 11/4 respectively. Kevin De Bruyne (32/5) makes up the only non-Liverpool player on the list.
Henderson’s Stellar Form At Merseyside This Season
Henderson has managed to prove his critics wrong by finding a run of consistency with his performances over the past 18 months. His energy and ball-distribution provided the Reds with an ideal platform to go on and lift the UEFA Champions League trophy in Madrid last summer.
The 29-year-old has continued to perform at a high level this season and is currently enjoying an excellent run of form which has seen the Merseyside club go unbeaten throughout this Premier League campaign so far. He also managed to fill the void left by Fabinho after he got injured and was missing in action during the busy winter months.
Henderson has led his teammates with a passion while striving for excellence and has shown a strong mentality to keep going especially during the crunch moments of this season. The England international has played in 33 matches for the European champions this term, netting three goals while grabbing five assists in all competitions. Despite playing in a reserved holding midfield role throughout this campaign, Henderson has shown incredible versatility and technical ability to improve his productivity going forward.
Does Jordan Henderson Deserve To Be Crowned As The New PFA Player Of The Year?
Henderson is a complete midfielder as evidenced by his tally of 2.2 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 0.7 clearances, 0.6 shots, 1.0 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per 90 minutes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored). He is never shy in working hard both on and off the ball so that he can lead by example and inspire his teammates to win matches under adversity. The Three Lions playmaker has also formed a fruitful midfield partnership with Georginio Wijnaldum as they usually cover a lot of ground to allow other players to join in on the attack.
Both Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mane have also made a positive impact at Liverpool this season as they have often stepped up and have given a good account of themselves to help the Reds get over the line. Mane has scored a lot of decisive match-winning goals while Van Dijk has transformed his team into a clean sheet generating machine.
However, what makes Henderson stand out as the leading candidate to win the PFA Player of the Year are his leadership skills and tireless work ethic that has driven Liverpool forward in the past couple of years.
Henderson’s road to success has not been easy as he had to win over a lot of fans by working hard and improving his game on the field. However, he has come a long way since arriving from Sunderland almost a decade ago and is currently playing the best football of his career. If ‘Hendo’ can continue to perform at such a high level and end Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title, then he will be more than deserving in being named as the new player of the year in England.
