Arsene Wenger has backed Mesut Ozil to claim the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award after his best season yet at Arsenal.
Ozil is on the six-man shortlist for the individual award, where he is joined by Leicester trio Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez, Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Dimitri Payet of West Ham.
Whilst Ozil is considered an outsider for the award – Mahrez being the odds-on favourite – the German playmaker has unquestionably enjoyed a standout campaign, scoring six league goals and adding 18 assists.
Wenger, who despite his aversion to individual awards backed his £42.5million record signing to win next year’s Ballon d’Or in January, is convinced that Ozil has shown enough to claim the PFA prize this season.
“He has been more efficient [this season],” he said. “I think he has created more chances and has scored more goals especially.
“I believe in a guy like Ozil, you see 10 to 15 goals, and I hope he will get to 10 at the end of the season but that is always what you think he should get.
“[When it comes to] providing chances, he is miles ahead on assists and combining the goalscoring with the assists means he deserves this award.”
No Arsenal player has won the award since 2012, when Robin van Persie claimed both the PFA and Football Writers’ awards.
