Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the notable absentees from the Premier League’s Player of the Season shortlist – but Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been included.
Bukayo Saka, James Ward-Prowse, Joao Cancelo, Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen have also been nominated for the prize.
Fans have until 6pm BST on Monday to vote for their favourite. These will be combined with those of the 20 club captains and a panel of football experts to decide the winner.
Mane and Ronaldo are not in contention for the award despite enjoying superb seasons for Liverpool and Manchester United, respectively.
The Liverpool star has scored 15 goals in 33 league appearances during the current campaign as the Anfield club bid for an unprecedented quadruple.
Sadio Mane has failed to make the eight-person shortlist for the Player of the Season award
Cristiano Ronaldo is another high-profile absentee from the list revealed by the Premier League
Fans will have until Monday to cast their vote for their 2021-22 player of the season
Ronaldo has been a shining light in United’s dismal season with 18 goals in 30 league matches, while he has also twice been named as the Premier League’s player of the month.
De Bruyne and Salah will be hoping to win the award for the second time. The Manchester City midfielder scooped the prize two years ago, while the Liverpool forward claimed the honour in 2018.
The formidable Belgian has been an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s side, who are seeking a fourth Premier League title in five years.
Ronaldo’s omission comes despite the Portuguese star’s two player of the month awards
De Bruyne has 15 goals – four of which came in the 5-1 thrashing of Wolves on Wednesday – and seven assists for City in the league this season.
He is aiming to become only the fourth player to win the award more than once, a list that includes Ronaldo, Nemanja Vidic and Thierry Henry.
Salah leads the race for the golden boot with 22 goals in 34 appearances and has racked up a league high of 13 assists.
His Liverpool team-mate Alexander-Arnold has made the shortlist after another fantastic season for Jurgen Klopp’s men. The 23-year-old has 12 assists and two goals in the league with two games of the season remaining.
Son is second behind Salah on the goalscoring charts having found the net on 22 occasions for Spurs, who are chasing a top-four finish.
The South Korean is hoping to become the first Tottenham player to land the yearly award since Gareth Bale achieved the feat in 2013.
Bowen has enjoyed a standout campaign for West Ham, who reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and his league form has caught the eye of several top clubs.
The 25-year-old has been a mainstay of David Moyes’ team and is only the second West Ham player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in a Premier League season, scoring 10 and setting up 10 to emulate Paolo Di Canio.
