'This award is always for Liverpool' - Pep Guardiola risks igniting row over individual honours

Pep Guardiola has risked igniting a row with Liverpool by claiming the individual awards system in English football is geared around the Merseyside club’s success.

Jordan Henderson was named the FWA Footballer of the Year on Friday after captaining Liverpool to their first title for 30 years and spearheading the Players Together initiative that raised vital funds for NHS charities in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

Guardiola was dismayed that Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah beat Kevin De Bruyne to win the PFA Player of the Year award for 2017-18, despite the Belgium midfielder inspiring Manchester City to the Premier League title and an unprecedented century of points.

And when City retained the title last season, pipping their Merseyside rivals to the title by a point, it was not enough to prevent Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk from winning the PFA award.

Guardiola still appears to hold a grudge about the situation and, speaking before Henderson earned the FWA award, the City manager had already ruled out any prospect of one of his players winning one of the big individual accolades.

“No no, it will be won by a Liverpool player,” Guardiola said. “When we won the Premier Leagues it was won by a Liverpool player.

“When they win the Premier League I’m pretty sure they are going to win the player of the season, so this award is always for Liverpool.”

Former England captain Gary Lineker reacted to Henderson’s FWA victory and Guardiola’s dig by pointing out that Raheem Sterling, the City forward, won the same award 12 months earlier. Leroy Sane, the Germany winger who left City for Bayern Munich this month, was also named PFA Young Player of the Year in 2018.

Guardiola did offer his congratulations to Henderson on Friday when asked about the awards but also talked up De Bruyne - who came second in the voting and who needs just one more assist to equal Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20 in a season.

“I think he speaks for himself what he gives to our team and to the Premier League, so it’s not necessary to say how important Kevin is, what a fantastic player he is,” Guardiola said. “At the same time congratulations to the captain of Liverpool for the award, he’s a really good player.”

Guardiola hopes De Bruyne equals or beats Henry’s record against Norwich on Sunday but continues to marvel at the Belgian’s form in that 2017-18 campaign.

“When we got 100 points, [it was] just incredible, the way he played,” he said. “More than three-quarters of the season he played in the Premier League was incredible, I'll never forget how he played in that year when we achieved this incredible milestone.”

Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero remains a doubt for City’s Champions League tie against Real Madrid next month despite stepping up his recovery following knee surgery.