Peter Smith

So, no, all good, all good.

Well, I'm not against it.

I think Jamie and Gerrard have made pretty convincing cases for De Bruyne, haven't they?

And it just shows that there are

there are a lot of players that you can kind of make a case for this season.

I certainly think De Bruyne would be up there for me, but I'd still go for Sadio Mane overall, I think.

He's obviously been very important to Liverpool for a long time now, but it just, it really does feel like he's gone to another level this season, doesn't it?

And in a team that's just shattered so many records and set new standards, really, I think he has been the Premier League's outstanding player for me.

I mean, I know, I agree with Gerrard that, you know, this is an individual prize, but I do think you have to

take context into account as well particularly in this instance when Liverpool have just been in a league of their own really and Sadio Mane has been such a big part of that as you mentioned before Pete you know Mohamed Salah has actually scored more goals than Mane but it's just the kind of nature of Mane's goals that really set him apart I think you know the importance of the goals he scores Liverpool have won 14 Premier League games by a one goal margin this season it's so often been Mane who's made the difference you know his goals have won Liverpool 18 points this season which is more than any other

Premier League player and eight more than Salah as well.

Now, Gerrard probably won't thank me for reminding him of this game, being a Villa fan, but the game that really kind of sums him up for me is that 2-1 win at Villa Park in November.

You know, Liverpool were 1-0 down, staring at a defeat which would have cut their lead to three points ahead of the game against Manchester City the following weekend.

But then Mane just out of nowhere produced that amazing cross with his weaker foot as well to set up Andrew Robertson's equaliser.

And then scores the winner himself just a few minutes after that.

You know, he really won that game single-handedly for them and sent them into the City game on a high.

And they obviously won that one as well with Mane scoring again, by the way, to give them a nine-point advantage again, which could easily have been cut to zero if they'd lost that game at Villa Park.

You know, there are loads of examples like that where Mane has just bailed them out.

You know, you think about the last couple of months and it's the winner against Bournemouth, the winner against West Ham, the winner against Norwich.

And all those goals were so different as well.