Ryan Mason believes Harry Kane should be named the PFA Player of the Year this season despite Tottenham’s disappointing season. The award will be handed out on June 4 and was won last year by Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne, with Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold claiming the PFA Young Player of the Year prize.
Ryan Mason said: “I wasn’t aware Harry wouldn’t be in that conversation because in previous seasons, most recently as well, players have won that prize having not won the league, we’ve seen that a couple of seasons ago. In my humble opinion Harry Kane has probably been the most influential player in the Premier League this season. He’s got the joint most top goals, most assists as well so if the trophy or prize is won on who is the best player in the Premier League, then Harry has to be in the conversation. Harry, consistently over the last five or six years, has been one of the best players in the Premier League and this year has been no different for him. The trophy isn’t for the team of the league, it’s for the player of the league, who has been the best player over the course of the season. Harry should be in the conversation, of course. He’s one of the best players in the world, we know that, and statistically this season he has probably produced the best numbers. So why he is not in that conversation, I’m not sure, I don’t know.”
Spurs have had a tough time in the past two seasons, having dropped out of the top four after four consecutive seasons in there, with three in the top three. However, Mason believes that things can turn around quickly in football and the north London club have the structure built to bounce back.
Ryan Mason said: “We have a great squad, we have great players. The fact that we are internally disappointed about where we are at the moment – and I’m sure our fans are as well – shows what a good job the chairman and the football club have done in terms of taking us to that next level. We want to do better, of course we do, and hopefully next season we will be better. We feel these next three games are important for the football club in helping that, changing the feeling and getting that connection. Of course, it’s massive. When you represent the football club – and I keep saying it – we want to be competing. That’s the feeling internally as well as the fans, that’s normal when you’re at a big football club.”
This weekend Tottenham welcome Wolves in the Premier League and it will be a visiting side without striker Raul Jimenez. The Mexican striker suffered a fractured skull in November and although he has returned to training, is awaiting clearance to resume heading the ball, which he is hoping to gain from a meeting with a specialist on Tuesday.
Ryan Mason said: “I hope he is okay, I really do. I know the emotions and feelings he is going through at the moment with him and his family. The most important thing and the only advice I would give is that your health is the most important thing in this situation. To back that up, I would go down a different route in terms of the bigger picture and say maybe more needs to be done with these types of challenges and the perception of these types of challenges. I said it for a few years now after my incident. I didn’t like to see that nothing has really changed and Raul’s as well, the same thing, a same late challenge from behind and the perception hasn’t changed. I hope he is okay and returns to play, I really do, but the most important thing for any player is your health. He has a family too so hopefully the conversations he has and the scans he has produce positive results and he can return to the football pitch.”
On why the the rules have not changed,
Ryan Mason added: “I’m not sure. I think it is a perception thing, maybe within the rules something needs to be changed. I don’t know but from a technical point of view a late challenge from behind with excessive force ticks all the boxes to be a bad challenge, but for some reason with head challenges and injuries, this isn’t the case. Hopefully going forward this will change. I am optimistic that the Premier League and the PGMOL are listening and it’s a matter of time. Hopefully that will change.”
