It’s the time of year when the nominees for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year are released, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the six-man shortlist is dominated by Man City players.
After winning a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, it’s obvious that those achievements need to be recognised with individual awards.
Having said that, there are two Arsenal players and one Tottenham Hotspur star on the list that will be hoping a City clean sweep isn’t a formality.
With a record-breaking Premier League season in terms of goals, Erling Haaland was always going to be one of the names on the list, released by the official PFA website, along with creator supreme, Kevin De Bruyne.
Currently out of action for a few months, the nomination may well have raised a smile for the Belgian.
They’re joined by team-mate, John Stones, who has been a revelation for Pep Guardiola’s swashbucklers in a new hybrid midfield role. Indeed, so well did he slot into it that it’s a wonder he hadn’t been played there for his entire career.
Up until the last knockings of the 2022/23 season, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side appeared to be odds-on to win their first Premier League title in 19 years, however, a late-season wobble saw City pip them to the post.
Nevertheless, their excellence has been recognised with nominations for captain, Martin Odegaard, and talisman, Bukayo Saka.
The final place is taken by another north London stalwart who had a mightily impressive season despite the relative disappointment that his club endured.
Now at Bayern Munich, former Tottenham Hotspur striker, Harry Kane, completes the six-man shortlist.