PFA Young Player of the Year: Did Dele Alli really deserve the award?

1) Dele Alli

For the second year running, the Premier League’s Young player of the Year award was won by Dele Alli. Did he deserve it? Of course he did.

The former Milton Keynes Dons midfielder has been a revelation ever since he joined Tottenham. Incredibly, they got him for a fee of £5m, a fee that looks to be a bargain given his performances across the last two seasons.

Despite winning the trophy last year, he has had an even better campaign in the 2016-2017 season. Despite a slow start, he has been in incredible goalscoring form in the second-half of the term. He has currently notched 16 goals, making him the highest goalscoring midfielder in the league.

To put his goalscoring prowess into further consideration, we must compare him to Premier League greats, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Despite having six games to play; Alli’s 16-goal season equals Gerrard’s best tally, whilst Lampard only beat that mark once, netting 22 times in 2008-09.

Moreover, Alli does not have the same luxury of being his side’s free-kick and penalty taker, as Gerrard and Lampard did. With all this in consideration, that makes his tally very impressive.

Of course, Alli has done far more than just score goals. He has also assisted his team-mates on seven occasions and also contributes heavily in defence.

At just 21-years-old, Alli has the world at his feet and if he carries on this type of form, he will undoubtedly be a Premier League great.