CIES Football Observatory have released their Premier League team of the season and it includes a whole host of surprise inclusions and notable omissions.
Champions Manchester City have five players in their side, but neither Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne feature despite playing starring roles in the success of Pep Guardiola's side.
Ederson, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias were expected to feature, but the additions of Rodri and Raheem Sterling has no doubt led to some eyebrows being raised.
The same can be said for Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, who have both been named in the XI.
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Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Harry Kane, the league's leading goalscorer and top assister, make up the attack alongside Sterling.
Liverpool's Andy Robertson takes the left-back spot even though many would argue that Luke Shaw has been the best performer in that position by some distance during the 2020/21 campaign.
Mo Salah, who scored 22 goals in the league, is another notable absentee.
All the players were selected using the CIES performance index and data from OptaPro and had to have played two thirds of domestic league minutes.
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Naturally, the choices were not met with much approval by fans on social media:
The PFA Premier League Team of the Year, voted for by the players, is to be announced in the near future.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Football, Manchester United, Premier League
