Man City, Arsenal stars head Premier League Player of the Year shortlist
LONDON. — Two stars each from Manchester City and Arsenal have made it onto the seven-man shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Season.
City pair Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland and Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka are all on the list, with Haaland, Odegaard and Saka also nominated for the Young Player of the Season award.
The shortlist is completed by Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Kane’s former Spurs teammate Kieran Trippier, who has impressed for Newcastle United this season.
The Premier League Player of the Season award is separate from the Awards, and is partially voted for by fans.
De Bruyne picked up the award last season and in 2019-20, and he would become the first ever player to win it three times should he be victorious. Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nemanja Vidic are the only other players to win it twice.
Voting is conducted on the EA Sports website until 12:00 BST on Monday, with the votes combined with those of a panel of experts to produce an overall winner.
De Bruyne and Haaland have struck up a formidable partnership during what is the Norwegian’s first season in English football, a campaign which has already seen him break the record for the most goals in a Premier League season with 36 strikes in 33 games.
Belgium international De Bruyne has registered 16 assists, which is four shy of the season record that he jointly holds with Henry.
Arsenal pair Odegaard and Saka have been at the forefront of the Gunners’ sustained title challenge, which is likely to officially end this weekend when City could be confirmed as champions.
Gunners skipper Odegaard has scored 15 goals and made seven assists from midfield, while wide man Saka is one of only two players this season to register double figures for goals and assists alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Rashford has contributed to 21 goals (16 goals and five assists) during what has been his best ever season for Manchester United, while Kane has again been formidable in front of goal, scoring 27 times in his most prolific season since 2017-18.
Right-back Trippier has been at the heart of Newcastle’s superb season, and helped keep 13 clean sheets as well as create 104 chances during the camapign.
As well as Haaland, Odegaard and Saka, the shortlist for Young Player of the Season is made up of Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, Newcastle pair Sven Botman and Alexander Isak and Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister.
The nominees for Manager of the Season are Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Pep Guardiola ( Manchester City ), Eddie Howe (Newcastle) and Marco Silva ( Fulham ). — Mirror.