Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Liverpool forward Sadio Mane would be a deserving winner of the PFA Player of the Year award.

There are a number of candidates who would be in contention for the accolade, including Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Mane’s teammate Jordan Henderson, but the former Arsenal midfielder thinks the Senegalese international is the player who should be handed the prize:

“He does things out of the ordinary and is one of the first names in this team. He is a special player who has been Liverpool’s go-to man at times in the season. He’s performed and got big goals in big games. He’s the Player of the Year for me.”

Mane has certainly come up with some vital goals for the Reds this season and with the Merseyside club on the cusp of their first Premier League title in 30 years, the forward’s contributions have played a crucial part in getting them this far.

The 27-year-old’s 18 goals and 12 assists in 38 appearances are impressive numbers, and while he will be hoping to add to his total before the end of the season, he has already shown himself to be one of the standout performers for the Reds this campaign.