Arsenal star and Liverpool duo among nominees for PFA Players’ Player of the Year award | OneFootball

Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister join Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Alexander Isak and Bruno Fernandes in the nominees for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

The PFA Players’ Player of the Year is an annual award recognising the player who has had the best season in English football, voted for by the players.

Manchester City’s Phil Foden was the recipient of last year’s award after scoring 27 goals and assisting 13 times, whilst also helping Pep Guardiola’s side claim a historic fourth consecutive Premier League title.

Here are the six nominees for this year’s edition of the award:

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Fernandes was the shining light for a United side that recorded their worst ever league season since 1973/74 – a 15th place finish with 42 points and no trophies.

The Portuguese international scored 19 goals and assisted a further 19, as his quality shone through despite his team’s struggles. Next season will be the United captain’s first without European football since arriving in 2020.

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

The current recipient of the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Palmer’s numbers dropped significantly compared to the 2023/24 campaign, but they were still impressive in a Chelsea side which secured Champions League qualification.

15 goals and 12 assists in all competitions are respectable numbers, including two assists in the Conference League final as the Blues went on to win the competition.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

The favourite for the award, Salah enjoyed one of his best ever seasons as he helped guide Liverpool to their second Premier League title. The Egyptian finished as top goalscorer and top playmaker in the league.

With 32 goals and 23 assists in all competitions, the 33-year-old at further cemented his status as a Liverpool legend. Salah will continue to haunt defences until at least 2027 after signing a new contract at the Reds.

Declan Rice (Arsenal)

The only Arsenal nominee on this list, Rice’s stock continues to grow after another impressive season for Mikel Arteta’s side. 24 goal involvements for club and country means this was the 26-year-old’s most productive season in front of goal.

Highlights for the midfielder include his two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg, as well as scoring and assisting against the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League.

Despite the impressive personal season, Rice could not stop Arsenal finishing behind league winners Liverpool as the Gunners finished in second place for the third consecutive season.

Alexander Isak (Newcastle)

For the third consecutive season Alexander Isak has improved on his own personal numbers as he helped guide Newcastle United to a second Champions League campaign in three seasons. Despite a slow start to the season by his own standards, the Swedish international turned up the heat and went on to score 27 goals and assist a further six.

One of Isak’s 27 strikes came in the Carabao Cup final, as he helped guide Eddie Howe’s side to a 2-1 win over Liverpool to earn the Magpies their first major domestic trophy in 70 years. Linked to the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, Isak looks set to remain in the North East with another season of Champions League Football at St James’ Park confirmed.

Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)

Whilst Mohamed Salah secured all the plaudits for his ridiculous goalscoring numbers, Alexis Mac Allister emerged as an indispensable cog in the Liverpool machine. The combative Argentine midfielder had a relatively productive season going forward, scoring seven times and assisting a further six, but it was his defensive contribution which stood out.

Forming a formidable midfield trio with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the 26-year-old was the link to defence and attack, as he averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.4 dribbles a match, starting off many of the Reds’ attacks. An outside bet for the award, but a well deserved nominee.