Insight: This years PFA player of the Year shortlist

The shortlist for the PFA player of the year has been announced. The following footballers are up for the award: Raheem Sterling, Virgil Van Dijk , Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Sadio Mane and Eden Hazard.

The Premier League champions Manchester City, dominate the nominations boasting 3 players from the six man shortlist. Title rivals, Liverpool have two players up for the award and are looking to secure the award once again following Mo Salah’s win last year.

Raheem Sterling

City winger, Raheem Sterling has had a great year so far and has netted an impressive 23 goals in 45 games for City, whilst also assisting a further 13. Whilst playing under Pep at City, Sterling has fine tuned his finishing and has already equalled his best ever goal scoring record in the Premier League.

Sterling is tipped to be one of the favourites for the award this year and if City manage to secure another Premier League title, it would put him in the driving seat for the award. With Sterling improving year after year, i’m sure its only a matter of time before he gets his hands on this coveted trophy.

Virgil Van Dijk

Van Dijk has been colossal for Liverpool at the back this season and his nomination doesn’t come at any surprise. Impressively, he has helped Liverpool to 22 clean sheets in 43 games. This defence record, which is the best in the league, has helped them mount a serious title challenge and are currently sitting at the top of the table with a game in hand over rivals City.

The Dutchman, boasts impressive defensive stats this season and is yet to be dribbled past by any player. The BBC report that he has the best duel-success rate (77%) of any defender with more than 25 in the Premier League this season. Van Dijk looks to be the hot favourite for the award with many pundits tipping him to win. After numerous MOTM displays and player of the month awards, who can blame them!

Sergio Aguero

Argentine forward, Sergio Aguero is once again nominated for the PFA award. After already scoring 30 goals in all competitions it comes as no shock that Aguero’s name has been put forward for this award. His attacking power has been incredibly important for City this season and as a result of his hard work they look in good stead to add a fourth premier league crown to their collection.

Aguero sits joint top of the top scorers list for the Premier League this season, and boasts an impressive 112 minutes per goal. Despite constantly being a high performer in the Premier league, Aguero is yet to win this prize, so I am sure he will be aiming to kick on even more and prove why he should be crowned this years winner.

Sadio Mane

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has had his best season yet for Liverpool, scoring 22 goals in 43 games this season. This impressive tally leads him just one goal shy of the top scorers in the league, despite not taking any penalties or set pieces unlike the others.

Mane has on numerous occasions scored important goals for Liverpool, whether this is in the league or in their Champions League campaign. He will have his eyes fixated on the golden boot, as Liverpool enter their final 3 league games of the season. Mane’s nominated is well-earned and he has an outside chance of landing the award. The winger will be hoping to make it into the PFA team of the season once more, emulating an achievement of the 16/17 season.

Bernado Silva

Midfielder Bernardo Silva is the third City player to be up for the award. This season Silva has been fantastic and a real asset to City’s squad. His performances have really stepped up this year and he has been able to establish himself as a key man for City during this campaign.

Pep often utilises Silva as a midfielder and he boasts impressive stats this season. In the 45 games that he has played, he has notched up 12 goals and 12 assists. His divide dribbling and exquisite work on the ball make him a joy to watch, often creating space and getting through gaps that many other players wouldn’t.

Whilst, its unlikely that Silva will go home with the award, this season has been his best yet at City and he has managed to establish himself as one of the best players in his position in the league, that alone is a big achievement.

Eden Hazard

Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has once more been dominated for the trophy. Hazard is no stranger to his award and found himself crowned the winner back in the 14/15 season. Whilst there has been constant speculation surrounding Hazards future at Chelsea, he has impressively added 19 goals and 12 assists in 44 games to his name this season.

The BBC reports that Hazard has been directly involved in 28 goals in the Premier League this season (16 goals, 12 assists), more than any other player. This is some achievement considering how poor his Chelsea side have been this season. With links to Real Madrid appearing in the news often these days, it will be interesting to see how Chelsea would cope should he leave come the summer.

With the award set to be tightly contested, it will be interesting who comes out on top and is crowned the PFA player of the year. Personally, my vote goes to Liverpool defender Van Dijk. He has completely revolutionised Liverpool this season, playing a key role in their title challenge.

Who do you think should be crowned the PFA player of the year?