The race for Player of the Year is already heating up, with Harry Kane, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku the hot favourites to compete for the prize.

All three players have started the season in fine style.

Kevin De Bruyne has been scintillating for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – who are currently top of the table, and he could become the first ever City player to win the award.

De Bruyne is confident he can keep his excellent form up.

“I said from the beginning of the season that I had a good rest [that I had not had] for a long time, I had a pre-season, that I also did not have for a long time,” he said.

“I could prepare myself mentally and physically for a long season. Some time, last year, I had 10 days of preparation before the start of the season. Sometimes it can catch up to you. It’s not always physically, it’s more mentally, because all the travelling and playing, sometimes you’re a little bit off in your head. Now I feel really fresh.”

Harry Kane has surprisingly missed out thus far on the Player of the Year prize despite winning the Premier League Golden Boot for the past two seasons, and he is already well on his way to a third.

“I just feel confident. I feel any chance I get in and around the box I’m going to score, or definitely work the keeper. It’s great, especially to score so early on in games – it helps,” said Kane.

And then there is Lukaku who – after his £75million summer switch from Everton – has shown excellent for for Manchester United. “To play in front of such a crowd and for such a great club, it’s a dream come true.”

Now Bookmakers are finding it hard to see past the three of them, we spoke to PaddyPower about the early contenders for the Player of the Year market.

“Poor old Harry Kane. He may have scored more goals in September than anyone else on Earth, but he still isn’t our favourite for Player of The Year,” PaddyPower spokesman Lee Price told TheGamblingTimes.com.

“That honour instead goes to the irrepressible Kevin De Bruyne, who is getting manager Pep Guardiola hot under the collar, and our traders too.”