Garth Crooks has come up with the most Garth Crooks reason for not picking Erling Haaland as Player of the Year

Erling Haaland shouldn't be the Player of the Year winner according to Garth Crooks, who just wants to see more from the Manchester City striker.

All season Haaland has been an absolute goal scoring machine kicking off the season with both goals in a 2-0 win over West Ham United.

Since then he's spent the entire season disrespecting the Premier League's establishment and scoring goal after goal after goal after goal.

He's scored so many that technically speaking City wouldn't even be in the top four if his goals didn't exist, although some one else probably would have picked up some of the slack.

The Norwegian has scored more goals in a league campaign than anyone else in a Premier League era and could even break Dixie Dean's record of most goals in a season.

Honestly there's very few superlatives that you could think of that haven't already been used for the 22-year-old striker for his debut year.

He's already picked up the Football Writers' Association Player of the Year award, picking up a record high 82% of the vote, with 14 other players actually voted for.

However, Crooks thinks that goals are the only thing the former Borussia Dortmund man brings to the table and that it's not enough to earn him end of season awards.

"Haaland has had a magnificent season," Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column, "But I do think we should save the game's most prestigious awards for those who offer more than just goals."

Haaland has scored 52 goals in all competitions this season. Image: Alamy

Offering an alternative, the former Tottenham Hotspur player explained, "The football writers doffed their caps to Erling Haaland by honouring him with their award as footballer of the year for his heroic efforts for Manchester City this season.

"I must say it was somewhat predictable - I would have liked Ilkay Gundogan to have won it.

"The Germany midfielder has been sensational this season and it would have been fitting, having played his 300th game for the club, won numerous titles, and now on the verge of a historic Treble, to have received the accolade.

"Ever since the likes of Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Tom Finney and Bobby Moore received the trophy all those years ago, the award signifies much more than the contribution a player makes in a season.

"It's about respect and above all leadership. I admit Haaland offers many attributes, but at 22 he still has so much to learn.

"I also find it extraordinary Kevin de Bruyne has never won the trophy either. Arguably the best footballer on the planet has never won the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award?"

Topics: Football, Premier League, Manchester City, Erling Haaland

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

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