"He's been completely overlooked" - Darren Bent makes bold claim involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Salah in PFA team of the year
Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent believes Son Heung Min should have been chosen ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah in the PFA team of the year.
Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, and Mohamed Salah, 29, have made the PFA team of the year. They feature alongside Liverpool star Sadio Mane, 30 in the front three.
The Manchester United veteran striker managed 18 goals in 30 Premier League appearances and was one of the positives in a season to forget for Red Devils.
Meanwhile, Salah finished the season as joint top scorer in the league with Son Heung Min on 23 goals.
The 2021-22 PFA Premier League Team of the Year 💫 https://t.co/s8SPc1Wf1i
Bent is bemused by the exclusion of Son Heung Min from the team, who he feels had a better season than Ronaldo and Mane, who managed 16 goals in the league.
He told talkSPORT:
"I think he had better seasons than two out of that three and there's an argument he's better than all three. I would have had Son ahead of Ronaldo, I would have Son ahead of Mane."
Bent then compared Son's season with Salah's stating:
"That leaves Salah and they both shared the Golden boot. You'd have to say and I think Liverpool fans will have to agree, the last part of the season, Salah didn't have a good end to the season. I think he was quite poor."
Bent believes Son showed consistency throughout the campaign:
"The fact that Son was quite consistent, i remember Son scoring against Manchester City at the very start of the season. The fact that he's been completely overlooked by his peers (shakes head)."
“I’d have Son ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané…”
“Him & Salah shared the Golden Boot. Salah didn’t have a good end to the season, I thought he was quite poor.”👏 “I’d have Son ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané…”
🏆 “Him & Salah shared the Golden Boot. Salah didn’t have a good end to the season, I thought he was quite poor.”
Darren Bent says he’d have selected Heung Min-Son over Sadio Mané & Cristiano Ronaldo for TOTY https://t.co/FE1czMUK2V
Should Son Heung Min have made the PFA team of the year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane?
Darren Bent's comments certainly have merit given the extraordinary season Son Heung Min had for Tottenham Hotspur.
The South Korean forward has been in scintillating form for Spurs, instrumental in the side achieving a top-four finish.
Harry Kane has been Spurs' main man through the years, but Son has stood out last season and certainly deserves to have made the Premier League team of the year.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane have had impressive campaigns and deserve to be acknowledged for their respective performances.
@Sonny7 in the @PremierLeague this season...
23 goals
7 assists
...NOT included in the @PFA Team Of The Year 
🇰🇷 @Sonny7 in the @PremierLeague this season...
⚽️ 23 goals
🅰️ 7 assists
❌ ...NOT included in the @PFA Team Of The Year 👀 https://t.co/Y3PVf73klH
But with Son playing such a pivotal role for Spurs in 2021-22, it's remarkable the former Bayer Leverkusen star has been overlooked.
Perhaps if you compare Mane to Son on the whole rather than just the Premier League, the Senegalese star pips him to the post.
Mane was vital to Liverpool's unprecedented quadruple run, but Son probably played a more important role in his team's success in the league than the Senegalese in his.