Salah crowned English PFA Player of the Year

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah was named Player of the Year by England's Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) on Sunday, becoming the first Egyptian to receive the award.

"It's a big honour. I've worked hard and I'm very happy to win it," Salah said at the ceremony on Sunday evening.

Salah was rewarded for his performances which have yielded 41 goals in all competitions since joining from AS Roma last year, helping Liverpool reach the Champions League semi-finals and secure a likely top-four finish in the Premier League.

Salah also matched a Premier League record tally for a single season by scoring his 31st league goal of the campaign in a 2-2 draw at West Brom on Saturday.

"You're comparing your name with some great names," he said, on the prospect of breaking the record. "To break the Premier League record is something huge in England and all over in the world.

"There are still three games to go. I want to break this record."

The 25-year-old came out on top of a six-man shortlist, voted for by PFA members from the 92 Premier League and Football League teams, that also included league title winners in Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane and David Silva.

De Bruyne showed why he had been many people's early-season favourite for the prize with an incredible long-range strike for his 12th goal of the season to go with a league-high number of assists as champions City thrashed Swansea 5-0 on Sunday.

"From my point of view when you are analysing 10 months, there is no player better than him," said City manager Pep Guardiola of the Belgian midfielder.

"Maybe there are numbers better but for me, he was the best. But it is my opinion, the opinions of the players could be different. But in the end, in the summertime, he will be at home being champion."

Sane won the Young Player of the Year award while Fran Kirby of Chelsea Ladies was named women's Player of the Year at London's Grosvenor House hotel.