
Share
17th April 2015
12:24pm BST

CB - Gary Cahill
It's hard to believe that just three years ago Gary Cahill was lining out for Bolton. When he made the move to Stamford Bridge, few would have predicted that he would blossom into one of the most reliable defenders in England. He is a mainstay of Jose Mourinho's teamsheet and you couldn't drop him in favour of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling or Marcos Rojo.
CB - John Terry
Much of Cahill's development is down to the man with whom he has struck an almost impenetrable partnership. John Terry might not be everyone's favourite player (or human) but his prowess as one of the few natural centre-backs remaining in world football means he has to be respected. He might not be the most athletic player on the pitch but he has that extra pace in his head over the vast majority of his opponents, a hugely intelligent footballer who is one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen.
LB - Cezar Azpilicueta
If we were to admit a weakness in our team, it would be on the left side of defence. Neither Cezar Azpilicueta nor Luke Shaw are truly world class left-backs but, on the basis of performances this season, we've selected the Spaniard. Shaw has failed to live up to the €40 million fee that brought him to Old Trafford while Azpilicueta has made very few mistakes in the Chelsea back-four over the last three seasons. Simply the more dependable full-back.
CM - Michael Carrick
For the dizzying runs and sumptuous first touches, we could have gone for a Mata, an Oscar or a Fabregas but we feel that the award for United's best player this season is a toss-up between de Gea and Michael Carrick. Nobody runs a game quite like the England international and he sees the game the same way that midfield greats Xavi, Iniesta and Scholes have made famous. He can also provide cover at the back when Branislav Ivanovic insists on continuing his marauding forward runs so Carrick's inclusion is a very practical one.
CM - Nemanja Matic
We wouldn't have complained one little bit if we had seen Nemanja Matic's name on the list of PFA Players' Player of the Year nominees. It could be argued that the selection of Carrick and Matic is somewhat conservative given the pair's propensity for holding deep positions in midfield but with the attacking force of Young, Hazard and our front two, cool heads are needed in the centre of the park.
LM - Eden Hazard
With no glaring stand-out players for this season's player of the year award, the honour will likely go to Eden Hazard who has proved himself to be one of the most exciting young players in Europe. He has more than a little of the Lionel Messi about him with the way that the ball seems to stick to his foot as he dribbles and, with his low centre of gravity, he is almost impossible to knock off the ball.
CF - Diego Costa
The league's joint-top scorer had to be included didn't he? It didn't take long for Premier League fans to realise that Diego Costa is a complete centre-forward. He can hold the ball up for runners, he can beat his man, he's good in the air and is always active in the box. He also has that mean streak that we think is important and, despite being well into his fifties, has scored 19 goals since his move from Atletico Madrid.
Subs bench: T Courtois, D Blind, C Smalling, C Fabregas, A Herrera, M Fellaini, R van Persie.Explore more on these topics: