Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and Mohamed Salah all MISS OUT on a place in the CIES team of the season but Raheem Sterling and Granit Xhaka make the line-up dominated by Manchester City players

With the curtain coming down on the 2020-21 Premier League season, the CIES Football Observatory have published their team of the season with some surprising inclusions.

The backbone of the elite XI leans on Manchester City, the runaway Premier League winners, with five players in the line-up.

But the biggest surprise is that none of those five players are Kevin De Bruyne or Phil Foden, the influential playmakers who have been central to City reclaiming the Premier League crown.

Phil Foden (L) and Kevin De Bruyne (R) were shock omissions from the CIES team of the season

There were five City players in the line-up, with goalkeeper Ederson between the sticks

Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias (left and centre) were named in the line-up's defence

There are three City players in the back five - goalkeeper Ederson is listed alongside Joao Cancelo at right-back and Ruben Dias in the centre.