Robin van Persie Leads PFA Player of the Year Shortlist

Robin van Persie: He wins awards when he wants?

Van Persie, Arsenal's high-scoring forward and captain, headlines the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Player of the Year award. Also nominated were David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Joe Hart of Manchester City, Wayne Rooney of Manchester United and Scott Parker of Tottenham Hotspur.

The shortlist was released on Monday. The winner will be announced on Sunday.

Van Persie, 28, has scored 34 goals in all competitions this season for Arsenal. He leads the English Premier League with 27 strikes, three more than Rooney and six more than Aguero.

From ESPN Soccernet:

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PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor is one of those who feels the Dutchman is a worthy nominee, saying: 'He has been amazing. When you think of the players Arsene Wenger has brought to the club - he came from Feyenoord for £2.75 million I think and that is incredible really.

'When you think of Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Marco van Basten - he is in that mould of absolutely top-class strikers that Holland, quite phenomenally, manages to produce.

'You could pick half a dozen of his goals out for goal of the season. Arsenal were struggling for some time but he was a real talisman for them. He seems to have lifted the team and got them back believing in themselves again and looking to qualify for the Champions League, giving all the Arsenal fans some hope.''

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Van Persie's teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of six players nominated for the PFA's Young Player of the Year award.

The others are Aguero, Gareth Bale and Kyle Walker of Tottenham, Daniel Sturridge of Chelsea and Danny Welbeck of Manchester United.