The winner of the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year award tends to come from teams who win the Premier League. This has been the case in seven of the last 10 seasons. Only once in that time – when Mo Salah won it playing for fourth-placed Liverpool in 2018 – has it escaped the hands of the top two.
This season that should change. The most influential footballer in the Premier League has been Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United and he already has my vote.
He is not a popular footballer outside of Old Trafford, but then how many United players are?