Mohamed Salah has been a highlight for Liverpool this year, scoring seven goals and dishing out four more assists.
However, Jamie Carragher believes another man has emerged as the finest performer in the Premier League thus far.
James Maddison has been chosen by Jamie Carragher as the best player in the Premier League so far this season, beating out Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.
Since joining Ange Postecoglou’s team from Leicester during the summer transfer window, Maddison has excelled for Tottenham.
The England international has five assists and three goals in the Premier League, helping Spurs to the top of the standings.
On Monday night, he scored his first goal at home as the league leaders easily defeated Fulham.
And his performance has only strengthened Carragher’s belief that the 26-year-old has emerged as the Premier League’s top player this season.
“I think he has been that influential in that change at Spurs.
Credit has to go to the manager because it’s philosophy and his style of play, but he’s been a major part of that,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“He took the number 10, that was Harry Kane ’s shirt, probably the greatest player to play for Tottenham.
I think at one stage he had the captain’s armband. He’s just that type of personality and you mention about taking that step up and going to a bigger club.
“Sometimes it’s too much for players and they can’t handle it. It’s not down to ability, but mentality and he can. He’s embracing that and going to a bigger club.”
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil agreed with Carragher’s assessment of Maddison’s impressive campaign.
O’Neil played with the attacker at Norwich and revealed that even then, it was clear Maddison would thrive.
“He was at Norwich as a young boy, he was out on loan at Coventry at the time and we made the play-offs at Norwich and he came back to train with us once his season finished at Coventry.
His confidence was on show from the minute he walked in,” he said.
“There was no doubt in his mind he was going to be the best player. He had the ability to back it up.
You do see lads that are overconfident and maybe a little bit arrogant, but James was not that. He had an unbelievable belief in his ability and a work ethic to match it.”
Carragher’s comments would suggest he’s overlooked both Salah and Haaland, the duo who lead the scoring charts in the Premier League.
Salah has scored seven goals and notched four assists, with boss Jurgen Klopp certainly believing he is deserving of the highest accolades.
“I think that Mo Salah played for us an incredible amount of fantastic games. Today was not his best game but then [still] being that clinical with the penalty and then staying in the situation, that’s probably his biggest quality, and I love that,” he said.
“We need someone who can bring the ball over the line, and he was that again. I couldn’t respect that fact more. It’s absolutely outstanding, the numbers are crazy. He will never stop, that is his nature and that’s really cool for us.”
Leave a Reply