Erling Haaland was named among the PFA Premier League Team of the Year following his promising debut season with Manchester City which saw him bag an astonishing 36 goals in just 35 top-flight matches.
Haaland surpassed the last Premier League record of 34 goals kept by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole when the league was played over 42 games rather than the existing 38.
The Norwegian frontman joined the Blue side of Manchester from Borussia Dortmund last season and performed to expectations helping the Citizens secure a historic treble victory.
The yearly PFA awards winners were confirmed on Tuesday, 29th of August, with Erling Haaland also clinching the PFA Player of the Year, while Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka won the PFA Young Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, several top Premier League players who performed well last season were missing from the Premier team of the season including Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.
The encomium is voted for by the Premier League players.
Erling Haaland was included with four of his title-winning teammates, while Bukayo Saka was also granted a place as one of four Arsenal players after his 14 goals and 11 assists in their title hunt that eventually ended in disappointment.
Notably, Harry Kane was voted into the starting XI despite his summer transfer to Bayern Munich due to an outstanding season where he scored 30 league goals for Tottenham Hotspur.
This came despite a confusing and terrible campaign at Spurs as the club went through three coaches and wrapped up in eighth place in the previous Premier League table.
The 30-year-old Kane was joined by his England team-mate Kieran Trippier, who assisted in escorting Newcastle United back into the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
Kieran Trippier starts at right-back alongside John Stones and Ruben Dias, the latter of whom also won a title last year and helped Manchester City have the best defense in the Premier League.
William Saliba was included in the back four following his solid performance for Arsenal before he was injured and the Gunners’ title hopes collapsed without the Frenchman.
Arsenal racked up a whopping 66 in the league when he was on the field while the Gunners only collected 18 points in 11 games without him.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard also won a position in the starting XI following his 15 goals, and he was joined by Man City pair Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri in midfield option, with the Belgian International emerging in the XI for the fifth time after providing 18 assists last season.
No players from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool made the starting XI after a disappointing run last season.
The Reds had a disastrous finish, but they still finished fifth and didn’t qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2015-16.
Although David de Gea won the Golden Glove for having 17 clean sheets, he was overlooked alongside Alisson Becker, Nick Pope, and Ederson, all of whom had outstanding seasons.
Aaron Ramsdale, a goalkeeper who previously played for Bournemouth and Sheffield United, was named the team’s No. 1 after recording 14 clean sheets and making several spectacular saves last season.
Full starting XI (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale, Kieran Trippier, Ruben Dias, John Stones, William Saliba, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane.
Does Marcus Rashford deserve a place in the starting XI? Share your views with us below:
