Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted that Kevin De Bruyne has not been affected by missing out on individual awards to Mohamed Salah.
Salah scooped both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards ahead of De Bruyne following a stunning campaign which has seen him score 43 goals across all competitions - including a record-equalling 31 in the Premier League.
De Bruyne had been tipped for the award for much of the campaign, having been the standout player in a team that cruised to the Premier League title and are on the verge of setting new records for most points, most goals and most wins in a single campaign.
However, Guardiola is confident that winning the title is the only thing that matters to the Belgian, rather than the individual accolades.
"We didn't speak about that. I didn't feel it when I saw him. Nothing changes the fact that Kevin was amazing. He is a champion," Guardiola told reporters.
"I think he will be remembered in his life, in the season 2017-18, we won the Premier League and he was fundamental to achieve that and I think that is what will make him proud the most.
"He can say, 'in my life, at least once, I was part of the best team in England' and that's the biggest prize with the most value for him."
Man City take on Huddersfield Town this afternoon knowing that a two-goal victory would see them become statistically the best single-season team in Premier League history.
Barney Corkhill
