Player of the Season shortlist: Sadio Mane, Ronaldo missing
Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo are among the notable absentees from the Premier League’s player of the season list, but Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold have also been included.
Bukayo Saka, James Ward-Prowse, Joao Cancelo, Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen have also been nominated for the award.
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 having enjoyed excellent seasons with Liverpool and Manchester United respectively.
The Liverpool star has scored 15 goals in 33 league appearances this season as the Anfield club bid for an unprecedented quadruple.
Ronaldo has been a shining light in United’s dismal season with 18 goals in 30 league games, while also twice being named Premier League player of the month.
De Bruyne and Salah hope to win the award for the second time. The Manchester City midfielder scooped the award two years ago, while the Liverpool striker claimed the honor in 2018.
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The formidable Belgian has been an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s side, which is seeking a fourth Premier League title in five years.
De Bruyne has 15 goals, four of which came in a 5-1 thrashing of Wolves on Wednesday, and seven assists for City in the league this season.
His goal is to become 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 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 league goals with two games remaining in the season.
Son sits second behind Salah on the goalscoring list having found the net 22 times for Spurs, who are looking to finish in the top four.