English Football
Kanté, Hazard, Ibrahimovic make PFA shortlist
PFA player of the year shortlist: N’Golo Kanté, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sánchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eden Hazard and Harry Kane. Composite: AFP/Getty Images, BPI/REX/Shutterstock, Action Images, Reuters, AP, PA
N’Golo Kanté’s and Eden Hazard’s efforts in Chelsea’s Premier League title tilt have been recognised with nominations for the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award.
Kanté, shortlisted last year for his part in Leicester’s remarkable season but did not make the top three, is the bookmakers’ favourite, with the winners to be announced in London on Sunday 23 April.
Hazard picked up this award two years ago, when Chelsea won the league at a canter under José Mourinho.
Alexis Sánchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane also feature on the shortlist.
Lukaku, the Everton forward who is the top flight’s leading scorer this season with 23 goals, is battling it out with a number of his fellow nominees for the Golden Boot.
Ibrahimovic has scored 17 goals for Manchester United in his first season in English football, and Sánchez has managed 18 to brighten up a disappointing campaign for Arsenal.
Kane – the only English nominee in this category – has 19 goals despite two spells out with ankle problems. He was third in the voting last year and has also been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year gong alongside his Tottenham team-mate Dele Alli.
Alli, who turned 21 on Tuesday, won the award last year and has enjoyed another impressive season, scoring 16 goals to help Spurs emerge as Chelsea’s nearest challengers.
The duo are joined by Lukaku, the Burnley defender Michael Keane, Sunderland’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the Manchester City winger Leroy Sané.
City, having won last season’s Women’s Super League without losing a game, are understandably well represented for the women’s player of the year prize.
The England right-back Lucy Bronze, who won the award in 2014, is joined by the club’s top scorer, Jane Ross, and midfielder Jill Scott. Alongside them on the shortlist of six are Ellen White, Karen Carney and Caroline Weir.
Ross and the Liverpool midfielder Weir both look set to feature in the Scotland team who face England at Euro 2017 this summer.
Bronze and Scott will represent England at the showpiece tournament in the Netherlands, along with attacking midfielder Carney – a consistently strong performer for Chelsea last term – and the Birmingham forward White, who scored the winner against the USA at the SheBelieves Cup last month.
Chelsea’s Millie Bright and Manchester City’s Nikita Parris – both also going to the Euro with England – have been nominated for the women’s young player of the year award. Three City players get the nod in this category too, with Parris joined by Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh. Weir is again nominated, along with Birmingham’s Jess Carter.
Men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year
Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man Utd), Harry Kane (Tottenham), N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal)
Men’s PFA Young Player of the Year
Harry Kane (Tottenham), Dele Alli (Tottenham), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Michael Keane (Burnley), Jordan Pickford (Sunderland), Leroy Sané (Manchester City).
Women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year
Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), Karen Carney (Chelsea), Jane Ross (Manchester City), Jill Scott (Manchester City), Caroline Weir (Liverpool), Ellen White (Birmingham)
Women’s PFA Young Player of the Year
Millie Bright (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Birmingham), Nikita Parris (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Manchester City), Keira Walsh (Manchester City), Caroline Weir (Liverpool)
