With the Premier League season approaching the end, it is time to look at the potential candidates for the coveted PFA Young Player of the Year award. Though the season will mostly be remembered for the fairytale run of Leicester City that amazed the football enthusiasts worldwide.
It was also a season that set a platform for the rise of several young players. If Harry Kane was the natural choice for the award last season, there could be as many as at least five genuine players to pick from for the award this season. This makes the announcement of this award more exciting than the title race, which by now in practicality is just a two-horse race.
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So who could join the list decorated by the like Ryan Giggs, Matthew Le Tissier,Tony Adams, Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney? Let’s take a look!
Harry Kane – Tottenham
Harry Kane didn’t actually pick from where he finished last season and had a very slow start. However, as Pochettino’s young lads gained momentum winning game after game, Kane got back to his best. Having won the award last year, the pressure was on him to prove that he was not just a one-season wonder.
With an impressive 21 goals in 31 games already, Harry Kane has already equalled his tally from last season in the league and can possibly reach the 25 goal mark. Premier League legend and Kane’s idol Alan Shearer has come out in support of Kane stating he should be the first man on the England teamsheet.
Wayne Rooney was the last player to have won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in two consecutive seasons, winning the prize in 2004-05 & 2005-06 seasons.
Touted to be the successor to Rooney, it will indeed be fitting for Kane to win it this year and take on the mantle for English attack in the coming Euro 2016.
Romelu Lukaku – Everton
Eyebrows were raised when Everton broke the bank to sign the Belgian forward from Chelsea for a club-record fee of £28 million. Dismissed as overrated by many, the transfer was hailed as yet another Jose Mourinho masterstroke.
In the 2014-15 season, the first season after transfer, Lukaku failed to live up to his price tag; scoring just 10 goals in 36 games in the league. However, 2015-16 has been a season to remember as he finally seems to be repaying the faith shown by Roberto Martinez.
Combining the attributes of sheer strength, pace and hold-up ability, Lukaku reminds us of the young Didier Drogba who also happens to be the Belgian’s idol. With 18 goals to his name already, Lukaku is evolving to be one of the best forwards in the Premier League and is on the right track to emulate his idol.
Irrespective of whether he wins the award or not, Lukaku looks to be destined for greatness. Having expressed his ambition of playing in the Champions League, Everton will be powerless to stop him from leaving if a big club comes calling.
Anthony Martial – Manchester United
A £36m fee that could rise to £58m for a quite unknown 19-year-old. Now that just sounds wrong on many different levels. When Anthony Martial completed the transfer from AS Monaco FC to Manchester United on deadline day of the summer transfer window, it was, by all fair means, termed a panic buy.
With the English giants being ridiculously linked with big names like Neymar and Bale, it seemed bizarre that they were going to settle for an unproven 19-year-old kid as a solution to their attacking woes.
However, all the apprehension vanished into thin air as he came on as a late substitute against arch rivals Liverpool for his debut, dribbled past the defenders as if they were non-existent, calmly slotted the ball past Mignolet and punched the air in celebration in front of the Stretford End.
In a frustrating season for the Red Devils, Anthony Martial has been the sole bright spark in attack, terrorising defences with his dribbling ability and pace. Often played as the left winger to accommodate Wayne Rooney in the central role, 7 goals in 24 games in the debut season is a decent tally indeed.
Though the chances of the reigning golden boy to win the award are relatively less, there is no denying that he is one of the hottest talents in Europe.
Hector Bellerin – Arsenal
Hector Bellerin, arguably the best right back of the Premier League, is a former graduate of the famous La Masia academy. Known for his blistering pace and acceleration, the 21-year-old attack-minded full-back can terrorise even the best of defences.
His assist for Mesut Ozil’s goal in the home leg Champions League match against Bayern Munich is a pretty good illustration of how good the Spaniard,on his day, can be.
What makes Bellerin a notch above the rest is the quality of his overlapping runs which provides Arsene Wenger’s side width in attack, something that has been lacking in the side for years.
With a massive improvement in positional awareness and tackling ability, Bellerin is no more just reliant on his pace to get the better of opposition wingers. A good recovery pace combined with well-timed tackling has made it extremely difficult to get past Bellerin.
Having played a pivotal role for Arsenal on both ends of the pitch, Hector Bellerin is a genuine contender for the PFA young player of the year award.
Dele Alli – Tottenham
For anyone who closely followed the Premier League football this season, Dele Alli needs no introduction. Transferred for a fee of just £5m, The Milton Keynes-born midfielder has been one of the best bargain buys of the Premier League in recent times.
The 19-year-old needed no time settling in as he has bossed the midfield for the North London side week in week out. Such was the dynamism he instilled to the young and vibrant Tottenham side that Alli was called for the England National team just nine games into his Premier League career.
A box-to-box midfielder by trade, Alli has produced some of the finest belters of the season. However, the stunner against Crystal Palace in the dying minutes of the game, which is also a contender for the goal of the season, takes the cake. He has also been incredible in the creativity department, having bagged 11 assists in all competitions.
Alli’s ability to read the game and make those audacious runs into the opposition box have not gone unnoticed and comparisons with Frank Lampard were inevitable. Win the award or not, this young lad is definitely one for the future.
