Leicester City’s remarkable season has been recognised with Jamie Vardy, N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez all named on the six-man shortlist for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
The Foxes trio are joined by West Ham’s Dimitri Payet, Tottenham striker Harry Kane and Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil for the 43rd PFA Awards to be held in London on April 24.
The nominees: A closer look
Kane is also named on the shortlist for Young Player of the Year alongside Spurs team-mate Dele Alli, with Stoke keeper Jack Butland, Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho and Everton duo Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley also nominated.
Dele Alli and Harry Kane have formed a fine partnership for Spurs – both have been nominated for the Young Player of the Year
Vardy has 21 Premier League goals this season – just one fewer than leading scorer Kane – having formed a lethal partnership with Mahrez to help fire Leicester seven points clear at the top of the table with just five games remaining.
Mahrez, a £560,000 signing from Le Havre in 2014, has 16 Premier League goals and 11 assists.
Ngolo Kante has been a dynamo in Leicester’s midfield
Their success up front has been backed up by the tireless work in midfield of Kante, who manager Claudio Ranieri joked “was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of batteries hidden in his shorts”.
Kane’s nomination comes on the back of another successful season which has seen him become the first Tottenham striker to register back-to-back 20-goal seasons in the Premier League, while Payet has been the brightest star in West Ham’s positive campaign.
The creative midfielder has nine goals and eight assists from 24 appearances – including some spectacular free-kicks – having missed six weeks of the season through injury.
Meanwhile, Ozil has been the creative fulcrum of Arsenal’s season, contributing 18 assists and six goals to the cause with Arsene Wenger’s side set to secure yet another top four finish.
Kane is the current holder of the Young Player award, but is tipped to be beaten to it by Alli, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season at White Hart Lane following his move from League One’s MK Dons with eight goals and nine assists, seven of them to Kane.
Should Kane or Alli win the award, Spurs players will have won four of the last five Young Player awards after Kyle Walker in 2012 and Gareth Bale in 2013.
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