Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, David de Gea...? Sky Sports pundits make player of year tips

The Premier League season might have yet to reach its climax but the Sky Sports pundits have savoured enough memorable moments to make their early picks for player of the year.

Gary Neville, Graeme Souness and Thierry Henry have joined the Soccer Saturday boys and Sky Sports News HQ's Morning View regulars in selecting the men who've impressed them the most so far as the clock ticks down on the 2014/15 term.

Three names dominate our expert picks but do you agree? Here's what the stats, the educated onlookers and the managers have to say about a trio of contenders for May's annual prize...

HARRY KANE - TOTTENHAM

Selected by: Matt Le Tissier, Paul Walsh, Alan Smith. 

Season so far: The striker who struggled to get a game on loan at Leicester in the second tier a couple of seasons ago is now the Premier League's breakout star with a first England cap on the way. Kane, a bundle of energy and endeavour, only started a top-flight game for the first time in November; 19 goals later and Tottenham's Champions League hopes flicker still. Only three of our pundits deemed the Londoner worthy of the main prize - but all 12 picked him as their early tip for Young Player of the Year.

The stats: Kane has bagged 29 goals in all competitions so far this season and is the Premier League's joint top scorer - alongside Diego Costa - with 19. Put those goals into context and he's earned Tottenham 22 points this season - a league-high haul. Oh, and he's scored more goals in 2015 - 14 - than 13 clubs have managed.

The pundit's view: "He reminds me of Teddy Sheringham; he drops off, comes looking for the ball. He has an unbelievable future in the game." (Paul Merson)

"He has been magnificent. At the start of the season - I’m quite happy to hold my hands up here - I wasn’t sure he was going to be the answer to Tottenham’s prayers. I’d seen him on loan - he did ok but he hadn’t pulled up any trees. I didn’t see him having an impact but every credit to the player. He has shown great appetite for the game. He has nice feet, runs well with the ball and he scores all sorts of goals.” (Paul Walsh)

The manager's view: "Harry is a very important player for us. He's in a very good moment of his career. But my focus is always that a player can improve. He is young and we need to push him to develop his potential because his potential is massive." (Mauricio Pochettino)

EDEN HAZARD - CHELSEA

Selected by: Thierry Henry, Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas, Paul Merson, Tony Cottee, Tony Gale, Alan McInally.

Season so far: Jose Mourinho might have questioned his work ethic last season but Eden Hazard - winner of last season's Young Player prize, no matter his manager's dressing-down - is a serious contender for this year's main prize. The Belgian has brought irresistible guile to Chelsea's muscular game, scoring 11, assisting six and befuddling defenders with feints and dribbles time after time. 

The stats: Hazard is top of the table when it comes to creating chances, crafting 80 opportunities (assists included) for his team-mates to date. He's attemped a swaggering 223 dribbles - streaks ahead of second-placed Alexis Sanchez's 181 - and also tops the charts for touches in the opposition box: a menacing 205.

The pundit's view: "On his day, nobody can stop him. He has such great quality on the ball; he can create something from nothing and that is a sign of a special player." (Thierry Henry)

The manager's view: "He was a kid always living on his amazing natural talent but from a certain moment he started to have some tactical education, some mental education. He is already a top player and his evolution has been fantastic. He is still very young and he can become the best player in the world." (Jose Mourinho)

DAVID DE GEA - MANCHESTER UNITED

Selected by: Gary Neville, Graeme Souness.

Season so far: Three-time Champions League winner Victor Valdes has no complaints about warming the United bench - he reckons David de Gea is the best goalkeeper in the world. Louis van Gaal has tinkered repeatedly in front of him but the Spaniard - United's player of the season last term and their most outstanding performer this campaign - has been a calming constant. The big question is: can United keep hold of him? 

The stats: Four men - Fraser Forster, Lukasz Fabianski, Ben Foster and Simon Mignolet - have managed more than De Gea's 10 clean sheets, while the Spaniard's save percentage of almost 75 per cent is bettered by the likes of Costel Pantimilion and David Ospina. But another Opta number from earlier this month is telling: while the average conversion rate of big chances in the Premier League this season stands at 42 per cent, against United it is just 28 per cent. 

The pundit's view: "If you look at the improvements he has made from where he was three years ago, it is absolutely staggering. He is dominating one-on-ones, there has been a physical maturity and there has been a technical improvement, too. He has become a great goalkeeper." (Gary Neville)

The manager's view: "David de Gea, this year, is unbelievable. In my career I have had a lot of good goalkeepers. For example, Edwin van der Sar was one of my goalkeepers and Valdes also with Barcelona, but De Gea is having a great season. He's saved us many times. His reflexes are very good.” (Louis van Gaal)

Who gets your early vote for the Premier League's Player of the Year? Use the comment box if you're reading on our desktop site or get in touch via Twitter @SkySportsNewsHQ - you might see yours during The Morning View!

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