Likely Premier League runners-up Manchester City have dominated the PFA Player of the Season nominations with three players among the six candidates.
Sky Blues trio Joe Hart, Sergio Aguero and David Silva have been nominated alongside Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, Tottenham’s Scott Parker and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie.
Aguero was also nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Season along with five British players in Tottenham duo Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck.
For the main award, Arsenal’s van Persie is undoubtedly the favourite after a stunning 2011-12 season where he’s netted 34 goals.
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said: “He’s (van Persie) been amazing. You think of Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marco van Basten and he is in that mould of absolutely top class strikers that Holland, quite phenomenally, manages to produce.
“You could pick half a dozen of his goals out for goal of the season. Arsenal were struggling for some time but he was a real talisman. He seems to have lifted the team and got them back believing in themselves again.”
On David Silva, Taylor added: “Silva is like Lionel Messi and Cesc Fábregas. He’s a playmaker, a magician – I think some of his team-mates call him Merlin. He’s a delight to watch and makes the team tick.”
On last season’s winner Parker, Taylor continued: “I have great admiration for Scott Parker. He’s relatively small in stature for the role but he has the work-rate, the courage and the bravery – he puts his body in there and tackles. He’s been a great buy.”
Meanwhile, Taylor also commented on Rooney when he said: “Wayne Rooney has managed to keep a consistency and sharpness. I also think there has been a maturity in his game. His goalscoring is his top quality but he does have that ability to do a job for the team. His commitment is top class.”
So who do you think will win?