beIN SPORTS

By Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven)

And so the end is near. Chelsea have already been crowned champions, the top-four places have been decided and there remains just one round of fixtures left to play in this season’s Premier League. So with all but the last relegation spot settled it’s time to hand out the individual accolades. Here are my picks for the 2014/15 campaign.

GOALKEEPER - David De Gea (Manchester United)

There could only be one man for this award. Where would Manchester United have finished this season were it not for David De Gea? Most likely outside the top four - an outcome that could have cost Louis Van Gaal his job and set back the Old Trafford club yet another year.
De Gea’s has become the best goalkeeper in Europe over the past season at United. There was the save against Everton, the astonishing stop from Daniel Sturridge in the home win over Liverpool and the recent save to deny Glenn Murray against Crystal Palace - which defied all reasonable logic. Time and time again De Gea has bailed United out, which is just as well because they needed someone to do that.

Honorable mention: Joe Hart (Manchester City)

DEFENDER - John Terry (Chelsea)
 

The Chelsea captain was written off as a top-level performer not so long ago, with Rafael Benitez openly questioning whether he could play two games in a week. Fast forward two seasons and John Terry has played every minute of every game of a title-winning campaign, forming the bedrock of the Blues assault on the Premier League. 
Terry’s best days were said to be behind him, but on the basis of the past 12 months he is very much still at the peak of his powers - despite his age. Chelsea still need a long-term replacement for the 34-year-old, but he has certainly proved his critics wrong by staging such an emphatic resurgence.

Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton)

MIDFIELDER - Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
 

Every title-winning team needs a superstar, and Eden Hazard is that player for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. The Belgian has excelled in the Premier League this season, scoring 14 goals and contributing eight assists in 37 appearances for the Blues - giving Mourinho the title win he needed to vindicate his second coming at Stamford Bridge.
In Mourinho’s well-regimented and well-drilled system Hazard is the magic spark from which Chelsea have caught light this season. Cesc Fabregas has also enjoyed an extremely successful campaign, but Hazard has shone brighter than anyone else, adding a consistency to his game that was perhaps missing before this season. 

Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)

Best Striker - Harry Kane (Spurs)

Few could have predicted the rise of the Spurs striker this season. Harry Kane wasn’t even a first-team starter for Mauricio Pochettino’s side at the start of the campaign, and yet now he is regarded one of the brightest young talents in the European game - scoring 20 goals from 27 appearances this season and commanding a place in the England national team. 

Breakthrough years don’t come much better. It’s not just Kane’s goal tally that impresses, but his the qualitative standard of his play. He might be a penalty area operator, but his goals haven’t come by fluke or fortune. The Spurs forward struts around the pitch with complete self-assurance, even linking up play between the lines of midfield and attack. 
Such has been the impact made by the 21-year-old this season, Spurs might have a job on their hands keeping hold of their new star striker this summer - with Manchester United reportedly keen on a move for Kane. Whether it’s at White Hart Lane or not, it’s now up to Kane to prove that the past season wasn’t just a very bright flash in the pan.

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)