LONDON: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named Player of the Year by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) on Sunday, becoming the first Egyptian to receive the award.

Salah was rewarded for his performances which have yielded 41 goals in all competitions since joining from AS Roma last year, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League semi-finals and secure a likely top-four finish in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams, that also included league title winners in Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and David Silva.

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea and Tottenham striker Harry Kane were the other five nominees for the main prize.

Sane did, however, win the Young Player of the Year award while Fran Kirby of Chelsea Ladies was named women’s Player of the Year at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.

“It’s a big honour,” Salah said. “I’ve worked hard and I’m very happy to win it.”

Salah is preparing to lead Egypt into their first World Cup in 28 years and he is the first player from the North African nation to win English football’s top individual prize.

“Hopefully I’m not the last one,” he said. “I’m very proud to win and I’ve worked very hard.”

Salah matched a Premier League record tally for a single season by scoring his 31st league goal of the campaign in a 2-2 draw at West Brom on Saturday.

“You’re comparing your name with some great names,” he said, on the prospect of breaking the record. “To break the Premier League record is something huge in England and all over in the world. There are still three games to go. I want to break this record.”

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2018