Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher hand out awards for 2024/25 season and revisit their predictions

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher hand out awards for the 2024/25 Premier League season and revisit their predictions.

Following Brighton’s win over Liverpool on Monday night, it was time to see who impressed the two Sky Sports pundits throughout the campaign. It included the best player, best young player, best signing, best newcomer, most improved, best coach, best coaching performance, biggest overachievers, goal of the season, favourite game, and pre-season predictions revisited…

Pre-season predictions revisited…

Best Player

Carra: Mohamed Salah

“If you were asking me who would come next, Virgil van Dijk is definitely in the running. It’s not just Salah being the top scorer, he’s having one of his best ever seasons, in terms of numbers.”

Nev: Mohamed Salah

“This was so easy. He’ll win every award, I would imagine. He’s the best player in the league by a mile this season.”

Best Young Player

Carra: Myles Lewis-Skelly

“If you’re 20, 21, that’s young – but he’s only 18. That’s proper young; you’re a baby. Winning Young Player of the Season is something that Michael Owen did or maybe Wayne Rooney – absolute superstars.

“The reason I went for him was because of how well he’s played in big games that I’ve watched, against Man City, against Liverpool, in the Bernabeu. It was five or six performances in big venues.”

Nev: Myles Lewis-Skelly

“It [left-back] been a massive problem position for Arsenal; Tierney, Zinchenko, Kiwior has played there. He’s gone in there and has made it look like he’s always been there. That’s the biggest compliment you can give a young player.”

Best Signing

Carra: Dean Huijsen

“He’s signed for £15m and gone for £50m within a season. He can play off both feet, he’s played for Spain now as well, he’s so cool and calm. To play in that position, at centre-back at 19, is just… wow. You’ve got to be something special, and he is.”

Nev: Nikola Milenkovic

“When you’ve watched one player more than the other, purely through games you’ve worked on, you feel a bit more of a bias towards them. And with the season Forest have had, with his dominance and the way they defend, he’s so critical.”

Best Newcomer

Carra: Nikola Milenkovic

“To me, it was almost the same category. I just went the other way around because of the transfer fee Bournemouth are going to get. Two centre-backs – maybe a bit of bias because of my position.”

Nev: Arne Slot

“I know a couple of managers have won the Premier League in their first season, but you’re talking about some of the greatest. Arne Slot doesn’t come with the same reputation.

“He didn’t look like he had anything like the same level of personality as Jurgen Klopp, but he’s made up for it and more in terms of how he’s compensated with his composure, a little bit of steely determination, some big decisions, how he’s handled the three contract situations. It’s been a perfect coaching performance.”

Most Improved Player

Carra: Ryan Gravenberch

“Probably the biggest surprise this season is not just him as a player because a lot of players have an average first season and they grow in the second.

“But he’s playing a completely different role… a holding midfield position that Liverpool have been trying to sign someone in for about two or three seasons. I don’t see anyone taking his role, I think he’s nailed that position as Liverpool’s No 6.”

Nev: Ryan Gravenberch

“I’m not going to put him in the same category as a young Patrick Vieira, but he has a little bit of a feel about him in terms of how he plays.”

Best Coach

Carra: Arne Slot

Nev: Nuno Espirito Santo

“You could say Slot, but because I put him as Best Newcomer, I thought Nuno was definitely worthy. Carra had them going down at the start of the season; they’d have probably been my next team in terms of being down there at the bottom. So for him to have them where they are, with a chance of Champions League football, is absolutely sensational.”

Best Coaching Performance

Carra: Andoni Iraola vs Newcastle

“Newcastle were on a run of winning six on the bounce, it was at St James’ Park and I think it was when Bournemouth had seven or eight players out, maybe even more. They absolutely battered Newcastle. We highlighted the performance of Ryan Christie, I remember Milos Kerkez flying down the wing. To go there and win 4-1 was brilliant.”

Nev: Eddie Howe in the Carabao Cup final

“I thought it was an outstanding coaching performance. Liverpool dominated the ball, Newcastle had far more shots, but they controlled the game without the ball. I don’t think Salah had a shot or created a chance in the entire game. I never thought any other result would happen other than a Liverpool win.”

Biggest Overachievers

Carra: Nottingham Forest

Nev: Nottingham Forest

Biggest Underachievers

Carra: Man Utd

Nev: Man Utd

“Winning the Europa League would be the silver lining around a very dark cloud. To win a trophy should never be disrespected and it would be a brilliant achievement to win three trophies in three years in an era when United have been really poor, but to be where they are in the league is incredible.”

Goal of the Season

Carra: Kaoru Mitoma vs Chelsea (H)

“I was commentating on the game and I couldn’t believe the first touch, with the way he takes it out of the sky. Also, what comes after it isn’t bad at all. It’s like Messi – and I don’t feel embarrassed saying that. Even Messi would be over the moon to bring the ball down from the sky like that. The way he just passes it in is sublime.”

Nev: Harry Wilson vs Brentford (H)

“I was looking for a goal that was different. We see great goals all the time, but you see a lot of them year in, year out. You don’t see many like this – and he meant every single part of it.”

Favourite Game

Carra: Everton 2-2 Liverpool

“The Merseyside derby means a lot to me and it was the last one at Goodison. That night, when the equaliser went in, that was a blow for Liverpool, but it was also a great game, almost for everybody except Liverpool. Everton didn’t lose the last derby at home, it was an iconic goal that will be remembered forever, Arsenal probably thought the title was back on.”

Nev: Carabao Cup final

“I think the performance by Newcastle was incredible, but most of all, it was the Newcastle fans and what it meant to them. Seeing them at the end of the game, there was screaming, veins popping out of necks, tears, everything you want to see. I’m sure Palace fans were the same on Saturday. It was an incredible day.”

Gary Neville’s Team of the Season