Arsenal’s Jorginho, a midfielder, discloses his choice for the Premier League’s best player.
The Italian international, with five years in the English top flight, transferred from Napoli to Chelsea for £50 million in 2018.
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When asked about the best in the business, two players immediately stood out to him.
The 31-year-old hailed Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne as “ridiculous” and praised his intelligence. However, Jorginho places Liverpool’s Mo Salah at the pinnacle, emphasizing his strength, power, speed, and mental toughness.
He told The Athletic: “Kevin De Bruyne is ridiculous. But I think Mohamed Salah, he was another level. I think, yeah, I put Salah first. He was so strong, so powerful, so fast. His mentality… and however he would shoot, it would go in.
“And then in terms of intelligence on the pitch, Kevin is another level as well. So hard to mark because he’s always in the right place, always on your shoulders. “Like, ‘Where is he? Is he here now? No, he’s there’.”
After securing a third-place finish in the Ballon d’Or rankings for his role in City’s treble-winning campaign,
De Bruyne has seen limited action this season, playing only 20 minutes. His season began with the curtain-raiser against Burnley at Turf Moor, but a recurrence of a hamstring issue, previously experienced in the Champions League final against Inter Milan, cut his time short.
Despite playing through pain in the final two months, De Bruyne opted for surgery to address the problem. A return to action is anticipated in the new year, providing a welcomed boost to City.
“If he said January, it will be January,” Pep Guardiola said.
“I would have loved to have him all this season but now he has tough injury and surgery and he has to recover well. He said end of December or happy new year, so it will be a happy new year for everyone. “
