Virgil Van Dijk has been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year for 2019
The Liverpool defender has enjoyed an incredible season with the Reds battling Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Raheem Sterling had been Van Dijk’s closest challenger for the prize but the Dutchman has emerged victorious.
Van Dijk succeeds team-mate Mohamed Salah in winning the award and becomes the first defender to claim the prize since John Terry in 2005.
The defender signed for Liverpool from Southampton for £75million in January 2018 and has helped the club keep 19 clean sheets and concede only 20 times.
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Van Dijk has featured in every Premier League match and played all but 35 minutes of the Reds’ season to date.
Van Dijk was chosen from a shortlist made up of team-mate Sadio Mane, the Manchester City trio of Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard.
Sterling had the consolation of being named Young Player of the Year.
He came out on top of a shortlist which also included team-mate Silva, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bournemouth’s David Brooks and West Ham’s Declan Rice
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Van Dijk said: “I think it’s special, definitely. If you see the standard of strikers we have in the league or playmakers we have in the league, it’s unbelievable.
“If you see the shortlist and quality there is, it’s very special that the players in the league voted for me. I won’t take it for granted. It’s just very special.
“I think throughout the whole season I’ve been feeling great. We’ve been winning many games, we are competing with Man City for the title and I think the most important thing is to stay fit and play consistent as well – I think I’ve been doing that pretty well this season.
“Obviously without the help of my team-mates, it wouldn’t be possible but we have just to keep going, carry on and I’m feeling good.”
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Liverpool remain in second in the Premier League table with two matches to remaining in an incredible title race.
The Reds went top as they put Huddersfield to the sword at Anfield on Friday night with a 5-0 victory.
But Manchester City answered the latest question of their credentials as they won 1-0 against Burnley on Sunday.
The Reds travel to Newcastle next weekend, in between their Champions League semi-finals with Barcelona , and host Wolves on the final day.
City meanwhile have Leicester at home to come before they end the campaign away at Brighton .
