Erling Haaland could join three Premier League icons as Player of the Year shortlist revealed
Erling Haaland enjoyed another stunning season for Manchester City and is now looking to retain his PFA Player of the Year award to join an exclusive club of top-flight icons
Erling Haaland is hoping to become just the fourth footballer to retain the PFA Player of the Year title.
Haaland won the award in his first season at Manchester City following the 2022/2023 campaign. He followed up that successful year by netting another 38 goals in all competitions last term, 27 of which came in the Premier League.
In November he set a Premier League record for quickest player to score 50 goals. Those strikes fired City to an unprecedented fourth successive title, making him the favourite for the Player of the Year award.
Haaland was unsurpringly named on the six-man shorlist, which was revealed on Tuesday by the PFA. The award is voted on by players, with the winner to be announced on 20 August at a ceremony at the Manchester Opera House.
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick itREAD MORE: Pep Guardiola has already explained what he'll do if Man City are found guilty of 115 chargesHaaland will be going up against Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard, Chelsea star Cole Palmer and Aston Villa hero Ollie Watkins, as well as City team-mates Phil Foden and Rodri, who all also made the shortlist.
Foden could provide the toughest challenge, having scored 27 goals in all compettitions last season. Rodri's importance to Pep Guardiola's side became increasingly clear last season as he pulled the strings of the title-winning team.
Odegaard meanwhile is hoping it will be second time lucky, having missed out to Haaland in the same award last year. Palmer has the chance to do the PFA double, having also been nominated in the Young Player of the Year category.
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He enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Chelsea, scoring 22 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League. And Watkins would be a popular winner, with his 19 goals and 13 assists helping Villa to qualify for the Champions League.
If Haaland won, he would become just the fourth player to retain the PFA title, joining an exclusive club containing Thierry Henry (2003 and 2004), Cristiano Ronaldo (2007 and 2008) and Kevin de Bruyne (2020 and 2021).
And the Norwegian believes it will be another season of success for Guardiola's side. He hit back at suggestions that City are 'missing' a key piece, having been dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last season.
“I don’t think we’re missing anything. City has been close. For the last three years, they have been so close in the Champions League and one year we won the Champions League and have won the Premier league four years in a row," he said earlier this summer.
“So what City are missing, it’s not a lot because what this club has been doing for the last six years has been amazing. In the end, in the Champions League it’s about margins. If my crossbar header goes in, it would be a completely different story, maybe.”
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