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The English Premier League is vastly regarded as the most exciting in the world, and without any doubt, the most popular one across the globe. In the past few years, the level of the PL is getting higher season after season, with some of the best managers in the world having joined, such as Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
The success of English teams is quite apparent in the UEFA Champions League, with all five clubs competing this term having already booked their ticket to the knockout phase of the tournament ahead of the new year. A successful European campaign would certainly reflect the fact that England's top-flight is gradually retrieving its original status.
Having said that, the competition for the league's best player is always an unpredictable prospect. So, who have been the five best players in England so far this season?
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#5 - Philippe Coutinho:
He may have missed out over two months of action due to the continual transfer speculation that linked him with FC Barcelona during the summer, as well as a more recent injury that he picked up throughout the campaign, but when available, not many would question the technical quality of Philippe Coutinho.
The little magician can no longer be reasonably accused of being a long-shot merchant or even inconsistent. As a matter of fact, Philippe is on 12 goals and 8 assists in his last 16 games for Liverpool, which totals 20 goal involvements. Crazy figures for someone who is spending most of his playing time in a new role in central midfield, right?
His absence, especially during the early stages of the season, is the essential reason as to why Coutinho didn't earn a higher position in this top five, but if he keeps up such a high performance level, there's no doubt this will improve towards the business months of the campaign.
It's no coincidence that La Liga giants Barcelona value the 25-year-old so much and look to him as a legitimate heir to the throne of Spanish maestro Andrès Iniesta. Whether the English side are able to retain their jewel remains to be seen, but it's a joy to watch him flourish.
#4 - Mohamed Salah:
When Liverpool signed Mohamed Salah from AS Roma for £36.9million this summer, many questioned whether he was worth the sum of money. However, the Egyptian was quick to prove his doubters wrong and has already established himself as a mainstay in Liverpool's starting eleven every week.
Salah is often criticised, having failed during his first spell in England when he joined Chelsea. However, the reality is that the 25-year-old never really got the opportunities he needed in order to genuinely prove himself. A few seasons in Italy with Serie A sides Fiorentina and Roma were more than enough for Salah to justify why he felt hard done by and equally, earn himself a big-money move to Liverpool.
This term, Salah has been a goalscoring machine. With 15 goals and five assists, he has been quick to prove why German tactician Jurgen Klopp insisted on investing his money wisely to secure the forward's services.
Salah has proven the perfect fit in Liverpool's tactical setup, as he offers blsitering pace in counter-attacking moves, as well as the ability to run behind defenders and locate himself in dangerous positions across the final third, waiting patiently for service.
#3 - Harry Kane:
At the moment, Harry Kane is quite simply the Premier League's best striker, if not in the world. The Tottenham star is now certain to end 2017 as the footballer with most official goals (56) throughout the calendar year, breaking the dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi that had lasted for years prior to that.
In the top-flight this term, Kane has already netted 18 - at least three more than any other player across the division. The Englishman is a goalscoring machine who continues to surprise us every year. With the ability to shield the ball, dominate aerial duels and set-up his teammates, Harry has the quality to boost the ranks of any club across the world at present.
In his last two games against Burnley and Southampton, the 24-year-old managed to notch two hat-tricks. Next up will be Swansea away and with the target-man's current form, it would definitely not be a surprise to see him score another treble, potentially setting up a league record in the process.
Spurs themselves have made it clear on a number of occasions that they do not intend to sell their star man at any price, although Spanish press continues to link Kane with a Real Madrid move every so often. Would Mauricio Pochettino manage to replace his most valuable asset?
#2 - David de Gea:
It is a rarity to see a goalkeeper earn such a high position in the rankings, especially in a league with many top attackers like Salah and Kane, both of whom have been scoring goals for fun.
But if anyone can break the mould, it is David de Gea. Manchester United's defence have conceded so many goalscoring opportunities this term and despite this, the 27-year-old has managed to keep ten clean sheets - the league's highest alongside Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois.
Courtois averages two saves per game, while de Gea is forced to make an average of 3.5 in comparison, a key difference between the pair.
Without de Gea, it's highly unlikely that United would find themsleves in second place with 43 points at present. Their most consistent performer, their irreplaceable asset, that is why he is ranked so high in this list.
Real Madrid have made public their interest in the Spaniard for a long time now, but the English giants have managed to maintain him - aware that finding an adequate replacement is increasingly difficult.
This season so far, there is little debate that de Gea has been the world's best goalkeeper.
#1 - Kevin de Bruyne:
You will hardly find someone who disagrees and can actually back his opinion with strong arguments, about the fact that Kevin de Bruyne has been the best player in the English Premier League, this season.
Pep Guardiola has already labelled the Belgium international as one of the most intelligent footballers he has ever worked with. This is as big as any praise could ever get, coming from the manager who has taken England by storm this term.
As a matter of fact, the 26-year-old has now created nine assists this season thus far - which is more than any other Premier League player. Besides his phenomenal capability to set-up his teammates, Kevin himself is also on six goals.
It's worth noting that he was able to find the net in some of their biggest fixtures to date, including goals against Arsenal, Tottenham and the winner in a nervy 1-0 away victory over his former side Chelsea.
What makes Kevin so special is that he shows his best in the big matches, those which matter most. He is far from being someone who stat-pads in the small fixtures and disappears when his team rely on his contributions the most. As a result, Guardiola knows that he can count on the midfield maestro at any given time.
City's sparkling league form has edged them increasingly closer to claiming this season's Premier League trophy and we're only halfway through the 2017/18 campaign. They have quickly built up a 15-point gap between themselves and their closest title competitors, with Kevin's influence being key to their success.
