The new Premier League season may have just begun, but we are already being asked to cast our minds back to last year.
The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) have announced their nominees for their Young Player of the Year award, with six players on the shortlist.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion and Aston Villa all have nominees, and while we may all expect a certain long-haired Norwegian to sweep up on awards night, it’s certainly worth taking a look at his competition.
Here are the six nominees – ranked.
Somehow Brighton’s towering centre-forward is only 18-years-old, but still managed to provide six goals and two assists in 19 Premier League matches last season. He scored roughly every 158 minutes in the top tier last campaign, and has already opened his account for the new season against Luton Town.
Evan Ferguson has been a goal machine since entering the Seagulls’ first-team setup, also netting three in four FA Cup matches last season. The powerful Irish attacker has a bright future ahead of him, and Brighton have been careful to manage his minutes and expectations since his arrival on the scene.
Up top with Joao Pedro this season, Roberto De Zerbi will undoubtedly get the best out of Ferguson as he continues to develop into a world-beater. Todd Boehly is already licking his lips.
Jacob Ramsey is definitely a player who flew under the radar last season and he quietly had an exceptional season with Aston Villa. Following Unai Emery’s arrival, Ramsey really blossomed into a wonderful, offensive-minded central midfielder, finishing the Premier League season on six goals and seven assists.
He has been utilised in various roles by the Spanish coach despite being just 22-years-old, and has shown excellent versatility and intelligence to flourish in a range of positions.
The youngster has hit six goals in the Premier League in the last two seasons and he will be hoping to surpass his own impressive record this campaign.
Gabriel Martinelli’s brilliance was somewhat lost in the hype surrounding Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, but the Brazilian’s efforts for Arsenal should not be forgotten.
The indefatigable 22-year-old produced 15 goals and five assists from the left-wing last campaign in the league, a significant improvement on his combined 12 goal contributions from the season before.
His devilish trickery and blistering pace made him an unstoppable force for the majority of the campaign, and the Brazilian was unlucky to end the season without any silverware.
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There is not a great deal that hasn’t been said about Moises Caicedo in recent weeks. His £115m move to Chelsea has unsurprisingly taken centre stage, but we mustn’t forget just how good the midfielder is on the pitch.
The Ecuadorian was an integral part of the Brighton team that finished sixth and qualified for the Europa League. His combative approach is complemented by his calmness in possession and technical precision, something which has made him one of the division’s best holding midfielders.
Bukayo Saka has been a constant presence in the Arsenal squad over the past couple of seasons, but last campaign was easily his most fruitful at the Emirates. Saka netted 14 goals and contributed 11 assists to a swashbuckling Mikel Arteta side that came close to the Premier League title.
This is the fourth year in a row that Saka has been nominated for the award, but has never won it. He lost to England teammate Phil Foden the last two years and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 2019/20 season.
He could become the first Arsenal player to win the accolade since Jack Wilshere in 2010/11, but he faces stiff competition for the title.
Having annihilated the Premier League goalscoring record for a single 38-game season, netting 36 in 35 matches, there is no doubt that Erling Haaland is the favourite for this award.
His debut campaign in English football could not have gone any better as he helped spearhead City to the treble. The Norwegian colossus is still only 23-years-old, a fact that is utterly frightening, and has already bagged a brace in this season’s Premier League opener.
Along with fellow nominee Bukayo Saka, Haaland could become the first player since Gareth Bale in 2012/13 to win both the Young Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year award. Few could begrudge him doing that double.
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