Only Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah can come away from this season as Liverpool players whose levels failed to drop from the previous campaign.
Alisson has arguably enjoyed his most impressive campaign to date, bailing out his defence on a number of occasions in recent weeks and months during what has been a testing time for the team. Salah, meanwhile, has continued to post impressive scoring numbers having recently reached the 30-goal mark in all competitions.
Hitting this milestone in four of his six seasons at the club, the Egyptian's prolific nature has seen him rise to joint-fifth in the list of Liverpool's all-time top-scorers. Not bad for a supposed one season wonder.
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Salah's debut campaign at the club saw him break the record for the number of goals bagged in a 38-game Premier League season and he has maintained a remarkable level of consistency in the following years as Jurgen Klopp's side have challenged for the biggest prizes on offer.
Setting up all three of the Reds' goals in Monday's 3-0 win at Leicester City highlighted how the 30-year-old is not only a prolific finisher but also a creative force. Providing a total of 10 assists for his team-mates in the Premier League this term, Salah has a total of 29 goal contributions to his name - a tally bettered by only Harry Kane (30) and Erling Haaland (43).
Such numbers may well have been overshadowed due to the disappointing nature of Liverpool's season, though Klopp recently insisted the standards his star man continues to set will not be downplayed. "No, not from us," said the German. "Not from the Liverpool supporters, maybe from you. I don’t know. This question is now not the first time I hear it. Not from us – I said it a lot of times, he will be an all-time great after he finishes his career, but now he is still in his career. If you see Mo every day there is still a really good few years in his legs and in his body so the numbers will even improve and that’s absolutely great."
Echoing this tone after the Reds' home win over Brentford on May 6, the Liverpool boss explained: "When he sits in a studio in a few years as a pundit, everybody will know how good he was when we were all watching him. A lot of people don’t appreciate players when they are still playing. For us, it’s clear. He is an all-time great.”
There may be no doubting how valued the 2019 Champions League winner is on Merseyside, but convincing the rest of the country remains an ongoing issue. Overlooked in the seven-man shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Reds' No.11 has missed out in questionable circumstances.
Erling Haaland was never not going to receive a nomination after scoring a staggering 36 times, while the same could also be said for Harry Kane and his 27 strikes. Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard are, too, deserving of their places in this category but how Marcus Rashford and Kieran Trippier have made the cut ahead of Salah is anyone's guess.
The former has three fewer goals to his name in comparison to the Liverpool attacker and has half the number of assists. Trippier, meanwhile, has no doubt been a consistent performer for high-flying Newcastle United but could be considered rather fortunate to find himself in such esteemed company.
Bukayo Saka completes the shortlist for the Player of the Year accolade, having hit double figures for both goals and assists. The England international, more deserving of being recognised than Rashford and Trippier, has seen his influence wane in recent weeks after scoring just once in his last eight league outings.
Salah's omission for this award won't come as a surprise to many Liverpool supporters, or indeed Klopp, who have become accustomed to the efforts of their talisman going under the radar.
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