Liverpool stars lead Player of the Year shortlist
Luis Suarez is one of three Liverpool players nominated for the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year award.
The Uruguayan, who heads the Premier League scoring charts with Liverpool at the top of the table, is joined by Reds strike partner Daniel Sturridge and captain Steven Gerrard on the six-man list which was announced by the PFA on Friday.
Also nominated for the top prize are Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, Manchester City playmaker Yaya Toure and Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana.
Suarez is the firm favourite to land the award after a stellar season in which he has already scored 29 league goals.
Hazard and Sturridge are also nominated for the young player of the year prize, along with Southampton left-back Luke Shaw, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Everton midfielder Ross Barkley and Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling.
England international Sturridge has proven a highly effective foil for Suarez in Liverpool's attack, weighing in with 20 league goals, while Gerrard's on-field leadership has galvanised Brendan Rodgers' side for their title push.
Hazard has come on impressively in his second season at Chelsea, and has been described by manager Jose Mourinho as “probably the best young player in the world”, while Toure’s midfield promptings, and remarkable supply of goals, have kept City near the top of the table all season long.
Lallana’s inclusion in the final six might cause some surprise, but he has been consistently impressive in a season that has seen Southampton initially flirt with pushing for a European place before settling into a comfortable upper mid-table position.
For a player pushing for a World Cup place this summer, the clear approval of his fellow professionals could give England boss Roy Hodgson more food for thought.
The awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, April 27 at London’s Grosvenor House hotel.
