The PFA Awards ceremony is one of the big nights in the football calendar when the Premier League’s leading lights are honoured by their fellow professionals for their achievements over the course of the season.

There are six nominees for the PFA Player of the Year award, and there are also six contenders for the PFA Young Player of the Year prize. Yet, due to the rules concerning eligibility for the Young Player of the Year Award, per the PFA’s official website, four footballers are in contention for both categories.

Eden Hazard, David de Gea, Harry Kane and Philippe Coutinho are the quartet chasing an awards double which, in the past, has been achieved by Andy Gray, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.

Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez are the other two players up for the Player of the Year accolade, while Thibaut Courtois and Raheem Sterling are vying for the Young Player of the Year honour.

Here, we take a look at the contenders for the awards, along with providing details of TV coverage and predictions of who will win:

 

Date: Sunday, April 26

TV Info: Highlights on BT Sport 1 on Monday, April 27, 8 p.m. (BST)

 

PFA Player of the Year:

Philippe Coutinho

It is over two years since Coutinho joined Liverpool from Inter Milan and he has consistently proven himself to be a bargain signing for Brendan Rodgers. Capable of operating in a number of attacking positions, Coutinho’s versatility and ability has helped him to shine in whatever formation Rodgers has played this season.

He has scored some important goals, such as the winners against QPR and Manchester City in the Premier League, as well as a stunning strike at Southampton. His goals against Bolton and Blackburn also helped Liverpool through to the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, where he scored in the 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa.

His form and progress was rewarded with a new long-term contract in February, per Mike Whalley of ESPN FC.

 

Diego Costa

The Spain international enjoyed a blistering start to his Chelsea career following his arrival from Atletico Madrid last summer. He scored seven goals in his first four Premier League appearances, per WhoScored.com, including a hat-trick against Swansea City.

His uncompromising, physical style has been a nuisance for opposition defenders all season and he has complemented that with finesse in front of goal.

He has provided a focal point for Chelsea’s attack to pivot around and has been instrumental in putting his club on the brink of winning the Premier League title.

 

David de Gea

Peter Shilton was the last goalkeeper to win the PFA Player of the Year Award in 1978, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. It is an achievement in itself for De Gea to have even been nominated.

In the early months of the season, the Spanish ‘keeper was vital in keeping Manchester United on course for a return to the Champions League as Louis van Gaal’s philosophy was bedding in.

In the majority of games, including wins over Everton, Southampton and Liverpool, United were indebted to De Gea for securing the three points. It is hard to envisage what more a goalkeeper could do, apart from winning the title, to be named PFA Player of the Year.

 

Eden Hazard

As the quality of Chelsea’s performances has tailed off in recent weeks, Hazard has remained a constant beacon of class and his goal to see off Manchester United also demonstrated he is the man for the big occasion.

He has been a joy to watch throughout the season and gets the vote from the likes of former United midfielder Paul Scholes, who wrote in The Independent:

Had I still a ballot paper in this particular election, my vote would go to Eden Hazard. I prefer the attacking footballers – you wouldn’t expect me to say otherwise – and Hazard has been the best in that regard. Not streets ahead of the likes of Harry Kane, and nothing like the wow-factor of those two big players at Barcelona and Real Madrid. But Hazard has made the difference in big games, like the one against Manchester United.

 

Harry Kane

Tottenham’s young striker has been the breakthrough player of the year without question and his rise is even more remarkable given that it wasn’t until November that he started to feature regularly in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting line-up in the Premier League.

He has scored for fun and played with a real sense of enjoyment as well. His double to win the north London derby at White Hart Lane was merely another way to endear himself to the Tottenham faithful. Pochettino is in no doubt about who the Player of the Year is, per Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror:

I think that Hazard is a very good player, he’s fantastic, a great player. But the impact that Harry has had on English football is massive. Maybe the impact is bigger than Hazard and his performances. Everyone knew that Hazard is a brilliant player. But I think not too many people expected that Harry Kane would show the performances that he has this season. This is the difference, I believe.

 

Alexis Sanchez

The exploits and impact of Sanchez for Arsenal since his move from Barcelona last summer have sometimes been overlooked due to the way Hazard has led Chelsea toward the title in recent weeks. Prior to Sunday’s game between Arsenal and Chelsea, Sanchez had scored more goals than Hazard in the Premier League, per WhoScored.com, after scoring 14 times to the Belgian’s 13.

Both players have made eight assists. The Chile international also scored both goals against Reading to send Arsenal into the FA Cup final and it is perhaps telling that Arsenal lost the derby to Tottenham in February when Sanchez was injured.

Prediction: Eden Hazard

 

Young Player of the Year:

The claims of Coutinho, De Gea, Hazard and Kane have already been discussed, so here we can focus on the other two nominees for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

 

Thibaut Courtois

It is nearly four years since Courtois signed for Chelsea from Genk, but this is his first season playing in the Premier League. His three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, though, demonstrated he has the makings to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

He has confidently replaced Petr Cech as Chelsea’s first-choice ‘keeper this season and his rivalry with De Gea is going to be something to watch over the coming years.

 

Raheem Sterling

The Liverpool attacker has already won one prestigious individual prize this season after being named the European Golden Boy in December, per Chris Waugh of the Mail Online.

He has had to shoulder a fair burden at Anfield this season following the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona and the injury troubles which have afflicted Daniel Sturridge. He still has plenty of scope for development and he is a worthy nominee for the award.

Prediction: Harry Kane

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