Brentford’s Ben Mee reveals PFA Team of the Year, with no room for Man United’s Marcus Rashford

Brentford captain Ben Mee has made the shock decision to leave Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford out of his PFA Team of the Year.

After a miserable 2021-2022 season that saw him slump at Old Trafford and fall out of favor at international level, Rashford has had an exceptional season, scoring 29 goals in all competitions.

But even this wasn’t enough to win Mee over as the centre-back revealed on Sunday morning that he has instead gone with a front three of Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland in his Team of the Year.

The trio all played for their respective clubs, with Saka recording 13 goals and 11 assists for Arsenal in the Premier League.

Kane was the standout in a struggling Spurs side, scoring 28 league goals. His goal against Brentford on Saturday meant he scored in 25 different games this season, breaking the Premier League record.

Speaking of records, Haaland has achieved many this season, with his tally of 36 league goals setting the record for the most goals scored in a single Premier League campaign, making him an obvious inclusion in Mee’s side.

He is joined in the XI by three of his title-winning teammates, with Mee opting to name Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan as two of his midfielders in a 4-3-3 formation, while also going to Nathan Ake on the left. back.

Both De Bruyne and Gundogan have taken a big step in the run-up to City, helping Pep Guardiola’s men to 11 wins in a row. Ake was rewarded for an impressive season after being in the margins of the City team in previous years.

Arsenal topped the league table for most of the season, but fell heavily in recent weeks, taking just nine points from their last eight games.

Despite their disappointing drop in form, Mee have still picked two players from Mikel Arteta to join Saka, with Martin Odegaard completing his midfield and Gabriel Magalhaes taking one of the central defenders.

Only City have conceded fewer goals this season than third-placed Newcastle, and Mee has acknowledged that by including two of the Magpies’ last five. Kieran Trippier is at right-back and Nick Pope is in goal despite David de Gea winning his second Premier League Golden Glove of his career on Saturday.

Rashford and De Gea have both been rejected and Mee has even decided not to include any United players in his squad, even though Erik ten Hag’s side looks set to finish in the top four.

Instead, Mee has given the last spot in the center of his team to Brighton’s Lewis Dunk.

It seems a surprising decision given that Tottenham (66) and Fulham (51) are the only teams in the top half to conced more goals this season than Brighton (49).

Yet Dunk has still caught Mee’s eye, and the Seagulls have had another excellent campaign as they close in on a spot in next season’s Europa League.

Still, the United duo of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez may be struggling after shining at the heart of their team’s defense this year.

The two World Cup winners helped United end their six-year trophy drought by winning the Carabao Cup in February, and the Red Devils have a chance to add another piece of silverware next month when they taking on City in the FA Cup final.

Arsenal’s William Saliba must also have been included after a sensational first season in England.

His untimely back injury has proved costly for the Gunners, who have struggled to produce results while he has been sidelined.

Mee acknowledged that his team would be controversial with some fans, as alongside his roster he tweeted, “Pelters incoming.”