It’s that time of the season when individual awards begin to be handed out.
This time last year, Leicester City were top of the Premier League and closing in on a historic title victory.
Riyad Mahrez was about to win the PFA’s Player of the Year award and Jamie Vardy was about to win the football writers’ award.
A year on, normal service has resumed. Chelsea are on course to win the Premier League title and Leicester have spent most of the season in the bottom half of the table.
Neither Vardy nor Mahrez have played to anywhere near the standard they set last season, and won’t be in contention for any individual awards.
However, their former Leicester teammate N’Golo Kante will be.
Kante has carried his excellent form from last season into this campaign with Chelsea, and impressed almost everyone, apart from Joey Barton, with his performances for Antonio Conte’s side.
The French midfielder is Gary Neville’s choice for player of the season, an award that looks set to be won by Chelsea player.
“When you watch him in games he’s infectious – he’s all over the pitch,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“His impact upon the two teams – Leicester and Chelsea – he’s had over the last two seasons has been absolutely incredible. He’s been amazing for two seasons and he deserves it this year.”
Neville’s Sky colleague Jamie Carragher opted for Eden Hazard just ahead of his Chelsea teammate Kante.
Hazard, who was named Player of the Year in 2015, has been back to his brilliant best this year, after a slump in form last season.
“It’s difficult to look away from Chelsea and at the moment it’s a toss-up between Hazard and Kante, who has been a revelation since he came to England,” Carragher said.
“But, at the moment, I’ll just go for Hazard, he’s a special talent and the most creative player we have in the Premier League.
“Fingers crossed the Real Madrid talk is just talk, because you have to keep players like that in the Premier League.”
Souness, another Sky Sports, pundit said Zlatan Ibrahimovic is his player of the year, but it looks as though it will be either Hazard or Kante.
