It’s almost that time of year again. The votes have already been cast and next month the PFA Player of the Year will be named. Last season’s award went to Ryan Giggs, a choice that many saw as deserved recognition of the Welshman’s phenomenal playing career. Others questioned how a player who started less than half of his team’s league games that season could possibly be named player of the year. The choice caused widespread controversy over the perceived sentimentality of the vote.
There is no shortage of candidates this time around, with a few new faces among the usual suspects. Sport.co.uk looks at some of the season’s star performers.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
The media are starting to run out of superlatives for Wayne Rooney, whom Alex Ferguson is absolutely right to rank among the world’s best. The Premier League’s top goalscorer this season, Rooney’s hold-up play and work rate have been equally impressive. At times Manchester United have looked like a one man team, and if they do go on to win the title in May, Rooney can take a lot of the plaudits. The clear favourite to scoop this year’s award; punters need not look any further. The only question now is whether he can eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo’s 42-goal total in the 2007-08 season, and once again the odds are good.
Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal)
Some eyebrows were raised when notorious skinflint Arsene Wenger agreed to shell out £11m for the relatively unknown Ajax centre-half. After scoring on his Arsenal debut the Belgian has continued to justify this outlay with a string of solid performances at the heart of the Arsenal defence, not to mention a healthy contribution to the Gunners’ goal tally. A fantastic debut season for a player who has taken no time to adapt to life in the Premiership.
James Milner (Aston Villa)
This week’s winner at Wigan once again helped the tenacious midfielder stake his claim for an England starting place in South Africa. Milner has been a consistent performer for Villa this season wherever O’Neill has deployed him whether it be on the wing, at full-back or, where he is currently excelling, central midfield. A man of many talents, the 24-year-old can pass, cross, shoot and tackle, all while running himself into the ground for 90 minutes.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Still only 22 but with a maturity beyond his years, Cesc Fabregas just gets better and better. The heartbeat of the Arsenal midfield, Fabregas has hit 14 Premier League goals this season and notched up countless assists along the way. The extent of the Spaniard’s influence was most apparent during his brief cameo against Aston Villa in December. With the game locked at 0-0, Fabregas came off the bench, struck twice to win the game and then departed again, all in the space of 27 minutes. Sublime.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
The theatrics and occasional petulance are still there, but Drogba’s brilliance still shines through. The centre-forward continues to be the bane of Arsene Wenger’s existence, maintaining his great scoring record against Arsenal with a brace both home and away this season. The Ivory Coast international won’t be too disheartened to finish runner-up to Rooney for the award if he has a Premier League winner’s medal as a consolation.
Richard Dunne (Aston Villa)
Roberto Mancini must be wondering what on earth predecessor Mark Hughes was thinking when he allowed Dunne to leave Eastlands for Villa Park in August. The Dubliner instantly endeared himself to the Villa Park faithful with important goals against former club Manchester City and then Chelsea, while quick to form a strong partnership with James Collins at heart of the Villa defence. Shrewd bit of business by Martin O’Neill.
Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
The diminutive Argentine has continued the tireless work rate for which he was much praised at Manchester United, while vastly improving on the mediocre strike rate that occasionally earned him criticism from the Old Trafford faithful. Tevez has already scored 21 goals this season and was awarded December’s Player of the Month award after a string of impressive performances over the Christmas period.
Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)
Defoe’s finishing has been first class in this, already the most prolific season of his career. He has flourished in his partnership with Peter Crouch, firing Spurs into fourth place and pole position for the much-coveted Champions League spot. With hat-tricks at Hull and Leeds, not to mention a five-goal haul in November’s 9-1 demolition of Wigan, Defoe has surely confirmed his seat on the plane to South Africa.
Roger Johnson (Birmingham City)
Signed from Cardiff in the summer and thrown in at the deep end to make his debut against Manchester United, Johnson has been ever-present for Birmingham ever since.
Johnson has marshaled a defence that has been instrumental in guiding the newly-promoted Midlands club to the dizzy heights of eighth position. Given the apparent dearth of talented young central defenders Capello seems to have at his disposal, surely it won’t be long before he joins Ryan Shawcross (who narrowly missed out on this list) in an England squad.
Steven Pienaar (Everton)
While Everton have struggled for form this season, Toffees fans will tell you that Steven Pienaar has been a revelation. The South African midfielder has been in fine form as the World Cup in his home nation approaches; however he may have been overlooked in the vote, given that his earlier industrious performances were mostly overshadowed by his side’s poor start to the season.