PFA Awards 2015: Full Award Nominee Lists Revealed
The Professional Footballers' Association announced its list of finalists for 2015's award on Thursday, and there are few surprises. Chelsea winger Eden Hazard and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane lead the way.
Here's the official announcement, along with the full list of nominees, per the PFA's official Twitter feed:
TOP NEWS
PSG Reaches 2nd Straight UCL Final
UCL Final Predictions 🔮
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Significantly, four members of this shortlist also appear in the PFA's group of nominees for Young Player of the Year recognition:
So many young stars featuring in the reckoning for both awards is a good reflection of the quality of the Premier League. Proof of the talent level is timely after no club from England's top flight reached the last eight of the UEFA Champions League this campaign.
Hazard's and Kane's places on both lists are understandable considering their stunning form throughout the season, but it's the former who's generating the most positive buzz.
Eurosport.com Pitchside writer Ben Lyttleton rates Hazard as the most deserving winner. He cites the Belgian's impact as both a scorer and a provider: "With 12 league goals and eight assists, the latest of which came in Sunday’s 1-0 win over QPR, Hazard is closing in on the ideal 'double double figure' which is much rarer than you think. Only Wayne Rooney, 17/10, managed it last season."
B/R's Sam Tighe also lends his endorsement for Hazard's chances. Tighe dubs him the "only choice":
Others have been more prolific. Kane has posted an impressive breakout season and currently matches both Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero as the Premier League's top scorer on 19. He has progressed from bench-warmer to stand-in captain in a season which has seen him grab his first international cap and goal.
Costa's array of injuries have slowed him down throughout the year, but his style and form summarises everything Chelsea are about. He's a combative pest at all times, someone who throws his body around the pitch like a sledgehammer whenever the ball can be won.
His 19 strikes have come in 24 appearances, four less than Kane, per WhoScored.com.
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez has bagged 20 goals in his debut season in England, with 14 coming in the league, per the club's official site.
But the Chilean forward has slumped during most of 2015, according to the Daily Telegraph: "There can also be no denying that Sanchez's form has dipped dramatically since the turn of the year: having scored 18 goals before Jan 12, he has managed just two in 13 games since."
Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho is perhaps the most surprising name on the list, but since December, the Brazilian's form has been exceptional.
This is largely down to Brendan Rodgers playing pacey forwards ahead of him in 3-4-2-1 and giving up on Mario Balotelli. Coutinho needs space to pass into, targets to find, and as we saw with terrific goals against Southampton and Manchester City, just an inch to unleash a howitzer on goal.
Manchester United's David De Gea is the only goalkeeper up for the main award. It's been a busy year for the Spaniard, one which has constantly seen him linked with a move to Real Madrid.
De Gea's reflexes have continued to stop United from dropping points—Everton and Stoke will be among the teams to wonder how they got nothing from Old Trafford—but he's also become something of a commander at the back.
His sweeper-keeper act in the recent Manchester derby highlighted the confidence of a player who can now be considered among the best in the world.
The winner will have certainly earned it. Right now, Hazard's place as the focal point in attack for the league leaders probably sees him take home the award ahead of Kane.
