Ballon d'Or race: Sadio Mane ups the tempo as he leads Liverpool to another final
FootballPremier League Player of the Season Nominees Revealed As Ronaldo, Mane Excluded
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane lead a list of high-profile names missing from the Premier League Player of the Season shortlist
- Mohammed Salah, Heung-min Son and Kevin De Bruyne are the strong contenders for the award after yet another spectacular season
- James Ward-Prowse and Bukayo Saka are among the surprise inclusions for the award that was won by Ruben Dias last season
Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min and Kevin De Bruyne have been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award. The trio are part of an eight-man shortlist announced by Premier League on Friday afternoon.
Salah currently leads the race for the Golden Boot award with 22 goals to his name. He has however suffered from a slump in form that has seen Son move to within one goal of Salah's tally. Salah also leads the assists charts, having provided 13 goals so far in the Premier League.
De Bruyne, meanwhile, will have the upper hand should he lead his Manchester City to the Premier League title. The Belgian has 15 goals so far and seven assists.
Surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane are missing from the shortlist. Ronaldo has endured a tough campaign with Manchester United this season but has still managed to score 18 goals on his return to England.
Mane, meanwhile, together with Salah, has been the face of Liverpool’s hunt to an unprecedented quadruple. The Senegalese international has scored 15 goals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joao Cancelo, James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Bukayo Saka are the other players nominated.
Trent and Cancelo have been instrumental in their teams' defences this season, with the Liverpool man being a regular channel for assists. Bowen has enjoyed a stellar campaign with West Ham as he is currently into double figures as far as goals and assists are concerned.
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FootballBukayo Saka has led Arsenal’s charge for a top-four finish, with the England international having 11 goals so far. The surprise name on the list will be one of Ward-Prowse, given Southampton’s struggles.
Ward-Prowse has, however, established himself as a dead ball specialist, with a majority of his 13 goal involvements coming from set-pieces. Southampton are in position 15 with 40 points and appear to be safe from relegation.
Son frustrated after being taken off
Meanwhile, Sports Brief reported that Heung-min Son has opened up on being substituted by head coach Antonio Conte during Tottenham's 3-0 win over Arsenal.
Son, who is chasing the Golden Boot award this season, cut a frustrated figure as he exited the field. The Korean was hoping to stay on and get another goal to tie with Mohamed Salah.
The 29-year-old explained that he respected Conte's decision, given that they have an important game on Sunday against Burnley.
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