Rice, Foden, Watkins nominated for Premier League Player of the Season

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Manchester City star Phil Foden have been listed among eight nominees for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

Arsenal and City each have two candidates in the form of Rice and Martin Odegaard, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, respectively.

The remaining nominees announced by the Premier League on Thursday are Alexander Isak, Cole Palmer, Virgil van Dijk, and Ollie Watkins.

There was no place for Gunners star Bukayo Saka, despite the England star top scoring for his club with 16 league goals.

However, the 22-year-old forward is one of the nominees for Young Player of the Year.

City and Arsenal are locked in a battle for top spot in the league, with less than a fortnight of the season remaining.

Foden has enjoyed his best-ever season in front of goal for City, while Haaland leads the scoring charts after putting four past Wolves to keep the reigning champions’ title bid alive.

Palmer, Mainoo, Saka nominated for Premier League Young Player of the Season

Haaland is aiming to win the award for a second straight season. He came out on top after a record-breaking debut season and has remained among the goals this term despite injury limiting his involvement.

As for Arsenal, captain Odegaard is joined by Rice in the list of nominees. Rice, who captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory before joining the Gunners, has excelled since his £105 million move.

Three of the other four nominees have been prolific in front of goal, with Isak, Palmer, and Watkins starring for their respective clubs.

Liverpool skipper Van Dijk is the only centre-back on the list, after helping his team challenge on multiple fronts for much of the season.

Fans have the opportunity to vote for their preferred player via the league’s website as they have their say on who should win the Premier League Player of the Season award. Voting runs until noon on May 13.

The votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be revealed on Saturday, May 18.

Meanwhile, managers Mikel Arteta (Arsenal), Unai Emery (Aston Villa), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), and Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) have been shortlisted for the Premier League Manager of the Season award.

Guardiola is the current holder of the award.

The votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be announced on Tuesday, May 21.

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Segun Ojo

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