N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard’s efforts in Chelsea’s Premier League title tilt have been recognised with nominations for the men’s Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.
Kante, who was shortlisted last year for his part in Leicester’s remarkable season but did not make the top three, is the bookmakers’ favourite for the 2016-17 accolade, with the winners to be announced at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday, April 23rd.
Hazard picked up this award two years ago, when the Blues won the league at a canter under Jose Mourinho.
Alexis Sanchez, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku and Harry Kane also feature on the six-man shortlist, the PFA has announced.
Everton forward Lukaku, the top flight’s leading scorer this term with 23 goals, is battling it out with a number of his fellow nominees for the Golden Boot.
Manchester United striker Ibrahimovic has scored 17 goals in his first season in English football, while Sanchez has notched 18 times to brighten up what has been a disappointing campaign for Arsenal.
Kane — the only English nominee in this category — has netted 19 goals despite two spells out with ankle problems. He was third in the voting last year and has also been shortlisted for the Young Player of the Year gong alongside Spurs team-mate Dele Alli.
Alli, who turned 21 on Tuesday, won this award last year and has enjoyed another brilliant season, scoring 16 goals to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side emerge as Chelsea’s nearest challengers.
The Tottenham duo are joined by Lukaku, Burnley defender Michael Keane, Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Manchester City winger Leroy Sane.
Keane’s impressive form for the Clarets this term earned him a first England senior call-up late last year, and he now has two caps to his name. Pickford has performed well between the posts in a struggling Black Cats side, while Germany international Sane has won rave reviews of late following his big-money summer arrival from Schalke.
Nominees
EDEN HAZARD
Club: Chelsea
Age: 26
Key stat: The 2015 winner has contributed 14 league goals and five assists to Chelsea's title chase, compared to four and three last season.
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC
Club: Manchester United
Age: 35
Key stat: With 28 goals to his name in all competitions, he now has 20-goal seasons with teams in five different European Leagues (also Italy, Spain, France and Holland).
HARRY KANE
Club: Tottenham
Age: 23
Key stat: On course to be the Premier League's leading English goalscorer for the third straight season — with 19, he is three ahead of team-mate Dele Alli and five clear of Sunderland's Jermain Defoe.
N'GOLO KANTE
Club: Chelsea
Age: 26
Key stat: Has played every minute in the league this season apart from Boxing Day against Bournemouth, when he was suspended, and the final 11 minutes against Tottenham on January 4. Second in the Premier League in tackles (105) and fourth in passes made (1,840).
ROMELU LUKAKU
Club: Everton
Age: 23
Key stat: Let's not overthink this one — with 23 goals, he is four clear of Kane in the race for the Golden Boot. Has contributed six assists for good measure.
ALEXIS SANCHEZ
Club: Arsenal
Age: 28
Key stat: Trails only Lukaku in goal involvement, with 18 goals (third in the league) and nine assists (fourth, two behind joint leaders Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen and Gylfi Sigurdsson).
