The official announcement isn't due to Thursday but the Daily Mail has today reported that Virgil van Dijk is to be crowned PFA Players Player of the Year when the Premier League's whos-who gather at the Grosvenor Hotel in London for the award ceremony this week.
The Liverpool centre-half has been hotly tipped to capture the individual honour after playing a pivotal role in a magnificent campaign for the Merseysiders, which sees them still locked in a two horse race for the title with Manchester City with only three and a half weeks of the season left to run.
It is believed that the Dutchman has held off stiff competition from City's Raheem Sterling for the accolade, in what very may well be a good omen for Liverpool fans heading into the final furlong of what has been an epic race for the 2018-19 Premier League crown.
Earlier this month, the final shortlist for Players Player was whittled to just six players, with the aforementioned joined by van Dijk's teammate Sadio Mane, Sterling's teammates Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero and Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard.
It will mean that the prize would stay at Anfield for a second consecutive season after Mo Salah picked up the award at last year's gala night.
The former Celtic and Southampton man will have little chance to celebrate his gong, however, as his Liverpool side will be back in action less than 24 hours later as they travel to the John Smith stadium to face Huddersfield Town on Friday evening.
Man City are involved in a gargantuan Manchester Derby fixture at Old Trafford tonight against cross-city rivals Manchester United as Pep Guardiola's side look to maintain the slight advantage they have over Jurgen Klopp's men at the head of the table.
