Raheem Sterling had been Van Dijk's closest challenger for the prize but the Dutchman has emerged victorious. Van Dijk succeeds team-mate Mohamed Salah in winning the award and becomes the first defender to claim the prize since John Terry in 2005. Van Dijk was chosen from a shortlist made up of team-mate Sadio Mane, the Manchester City trio of Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva and Chelsea's Eden Hazard. Manchester City forward Georgia Stanway won the Young Player of the Year award. The PFA's Merit award went to Manchester City and England captain Steph Houghton.

Source: Daily Mirror April 28, 2019 21:41 UTC