If Manchester City win the title this season, it will be partially due to their great players, but ultimately because of the influence of their manager.

If Liverpool win the title this season, it will be partially due to their great players, but ultimately because of the influence of their manager.

If Chelsea win the title this season, it will be partially due to their great manager, but ultimately because of the influence of Eden Hazard.

Hazard is the Premier League’s best player.

I said it during my commentary as Chelsea defeated Liverpool in the first of the two meetings this week. This judgment is based on the last six years, not the first six games of this season.

There are outstanding rivals worthy of inclusion in this debate; Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and David Silva are among the best. All possess special qualities. De Bruyne and Silva are artists with the ball. Kane, Aguero and Salah are killers in and around the penalty area. Hazard brings something the others do not – dribbling ability, running at pace, beating several men from deep before delivering a spectacular finish. He has the capacity to make you shout ‘wow’ as I did when he scored the goal that knocked Liverpool out of the Carabao Cup.