Kane, Hazard, De Gea, Coutinho, Costa and Sanchez named as PFA players’ player of the year nominees

Could Harry Kane nab both?

Darragh Murphy

The nominees for the PFA players’ player of the year, young player of the year and women’s player of the year have been announced this evening.

PFA players’ player of the year

Diego Costa

Diego Costa lit the Premier League on fire when he signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer and has found the net 19 times in his 24 appearances making him the most clinical striker in the league.

He also has three assists to his name so he’s not the greedy guts that most have made him out to be, although all of those passes were likely scuffed shots.

Eden Hazard

If Costa is the rhythm guitarist slamming down power chords all day long, his teammate Eden Hazard is the nimble-fingered lead guitarist who comes up with gorgeous melodies for fun.

Like Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, you just expect Hazard to beat his man whenever he picks up the ball and his skill has been duly rewarded with 12 goals and 8 assists since the start of the season.

David de Gea

Where would Louis van Gaal be if it weren’t for David de Gea? We’re not going to come straight out and say he’d be relying on tips in the red light district of Amsterdam but he’d sure be in a hell of a lot of trouble in the league.

De Gea has been nothing short of game-saving for Manchester United in this campaign and he has cemented himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world with ten clean sheets this season. He averages over two and a half saves in every game and has made over 80 since the opening whistle of the season.

Philippe Coutinho

Don’t be fooled by his sleight frame, Philippe Coutinho will make you look like an absolute fool with his immaculate first, second, third (you get the picture) touches.

He strikes a hell of a ball (4 goals) and pops up with some vital assists (4) but his impact on Liverpool’s game is reflected more in performance than on the stat sheet.

Harry Kane

“Here I am, rock you like I’m Harry Kane,” so sang the Scorpions or at least that’s what it is in our head.

The word “revelation” does not do the 21-year-old’s contribution for Spurs justice. He’s delivered 19 goals in 28 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino this term and made Tim Sherwood all the more lovably smug for bringing him into the first team. He’s one of our own and he’s also got three assists this season.

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez has kept Arsenal’s title hopes alive this season and despite Arsene Wenger describing him as being “in the red zone” for large stages of the campaign, he’s still contributed 14 goals and 8 assists since moving from Barcelona.

He’s arguably got the best right foot in the league but will likely be the outsider’s choice for the award this season.