Mohamed Salah named PFA Premier League player of the year

Liverpool forward Mohamed ‘Mo’ Salah has won the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) player of the year award for the 2017-2018 season on Sunday.

The prize was awarded to Salah by his fellow Premier League players, beating other big names such as David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, David de Gea and Harry Kane.

“This is a great honour, I’m very happy to win it,” Salah said in a response.

Congratulations to @LFC's Mo Salah, crowned the Men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year 👏🏆 #PFAAwards pic.twitter.com/fpvxwZgfdP

— Professional Footballers' Association (@PFA) April 22, 2018

The 25-year-old Egyptian forward has scored 31 goals in 34 matches this season so far, tying him with Alan Shearer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez for the record.

With four games left, Salah has the opportunity to become the sole record holder for most goals scored in one Premier League season.

It is Salah’s first season at Liverpool after he transferred from AS Roma last year for more than $51m, making him the most expensive player ever bought by Liverpool.

Salah, who also plays for Egypt‘s national team, has quickly become a darling of the English football community.

Congratulations to @22mosalah on being @PFA player of the year. He’s been superb, scored a multitude of goals and been a breath of fresh air to our football.

— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) April 23, 2018

His prolific debut season has led to comparisons with Suarez, who moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014 after helping the Merseyside club come close to winning the league title with 31 goals in 33 matches.

Currently, Liverpool is third in the Premier League, behind Manchester City and Manchester United.

Later this year, Salah will play during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he will play against Uruguay, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

During Sunday’s award ceremony, the PFA also awarded the prizes for best young player and female players.

Leroy Sane (Manchester City) won the award for best young player, Fran Kirby (Chelsea) won the prize for best female footballer, while Lauren Hemp was named best young female player.