The nominees for both the men’s and women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year award have been announced.
Four players from Premier League champions Manchester City have been nominated for the men’s award, including the FWA Footballer of the Year, Ruben Dias.
Dias has been outstanding for City this season, having slotted seamlessly into their backline since joining from Benfica in the summer.
The 24-year-old has recorded 19 clean sheets this season, helping City to regain their Premier League crown by 12 points ahead of Manchester United.
Also nominated are fellow City trio Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan.
Foden has had somewhat of a breakthrough season for Pep Guardiola’s side, establishing himself as a key member of the team that won two trophies and reached the Champions League final.
The 21-year-old recorded nine goals – his best return in a season – and five assists in the Premier League.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, had another successful campaign. He made 12 fewer appearances than last season (25) due to injury, but still recorded an impressive six goals and 12 assists.
Gundogan, meanwhile, was a key cog during City’s record-breaking streak of 21 successive wins in all competitions. Playing in a more advanced role in the winter months due to De Bruyne’s injury, the 30-year-old scored 11 league goals between December and February.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane has also been nominated. The 27-year-old won the Golden Boot for the third time in his career, scoring 23 goals. He also secured the Playmaker of the Season award for his league-high 14 assists.
Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes is the other name on the list. The Portuguese international enjoyed an excellent first full season in the Premier League, scoring 18 goals and providing 12 assists as United finished second in the table.
Men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year nominees
- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
- Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Six nominees have also been named for the women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.
All of the players nominated come from Manchester City or Chelsea. The latter won the Women’s Super League for the second consecutive season.
The Blues have goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger nominated, as well as forward Sam Kerr. Kerr won the season’s Golden Boot after scoring 21 goals.
Midfielder Fran Kirby is the third of the club’s players on the shortlists, having recently won the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year last week.
City have Lauren Hemp, Sam Mewis and Chloe Kelly all nominated. Kelly was the league’s fourth top goalscorer with 10 goals, alongside 11 assists, although saw her season ended prior to the last round of fixtures due to an ACL injury.
Women’s PFA Player of the Year nominees
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea)
- Chloe Kelly (Manchester City)
- Fran Kirby (Chelsea)
- Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
- Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
- Sam Mewis (Manchester City)
Nominees have also been announced for the men’s and women’s Young Player of the Year award.
To be nominated, players must have been aged 21 or under as of July 1, 2020.
The EFL Teams of the Year for each of the three divisions will be revealed throughout Thursday June 3, with the WSL and Premier League teams revealed on Friday June 4.
Below are the nominations for the Young Player of the Year awards:
Men’s PFA Young Player of the Year nominees
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- Declan Rice (West Ham United)
- Mason Greenwood (Manchester United)
- Mason Mount (Chelsea)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year nominees
- Ebony Salmon (Bristol City)
- Ella Toone (Manchester United)
- Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City)
- Lauren Hemp (Manchester City)
- Lauren James (Manchester United)
- Niamh Charles (Chelsea)
Featured Image Credit: Getty
