Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was named as England’s PFA Player of the Year for 2019 on Sunday.
Van Dijk succeeded Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah in winning the award, voted for by his fellow players and saw off competition from Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling.
But Sterling, 24, was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year, following on from City colleague Leroy Sane. Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton for o75 million ($97 million, 87 million euros) in January 2018. The 27-year-old Dutchman has been an ever-present for Liverpool in their bid to dethrone City as Premier League champions this season, with Sterling’s side one point clear of the Reds at the top of the table with just two games left to play.
Van Dijk has starred in a hugely improved Liverpool defence that has kept 20 clean sheets and conceded a mere 20 goals in the current campaign.
“It’s pretty difficult to put into words,” said Van Dijk, the first defender to win the award since Chelsea’s John Terry 14 years ago. “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. I’m very proud and honoured to receive it.”
Van Dijk, who also has a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona to look forward to this week, added: “If you see the standard of strikers or playmakers we have in the league, it’s unbelievable.”
England international Sterling has been praised both for his on-field performances and a willingness to speak out about football’s continuing problems with racism.
