'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Previously won by the likes of Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard, the PFA Young Player of the Year award is as prestigious as it gets for young players in the Premier League who are looking to further establish themselves on the biggest of stages.
And this year, the race for the award is more competitive than ever, with players such as Marcus Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold competing for the famous award along with the likes of James Maddison and Tammy Abraham.
The award almost acts as a stepping stone for young players around England with most winners going onto become Premier League legends after picking up the award, with Steven Gerrard just one example of this.
The Liverpool icon won the award in 2001 before cementing his legacy as Reds captain by winning the Champions League just 4 years later. Alexander-Arnold will be hoping to follow in Gerrard's footsteps by picking up the award.
With that being said, here are 5 players that could win the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
#5 Tammy Abraham
After taking the Championship by storm with Aston Villa last season, Tammy Abraham looked finally ready for first-team action at Chelsea. And since being given the opportunity of a starting place under Frank Lampard, the Chelsea forward hasn't looked back and has scored 15 goals this season, more than any other player at the club.
Abraham will be hoping to become just the second-ever Chelsea player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award and in doing so, achieve something that even Lampard couldn't do.
The Chelsea number 9 may also have his eyes on the Premier League goalscoring charts and the Golden Boot with 13 goals to his name this season, only 4 away from Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who are tied with 17 goals each. Winning the Golden Boot would only boost Abraham's already high chances of winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
#4 James Maddison
Leicester City have formed the story of the season so far by rising to third place in the table, leaving their players with plenty of praise. And James Maddison has been at the heart of a Leicester side looking to make a return to the Champions League.
The former Norwich man has formed a formidable partnership in midfield with both Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans this season which may see one of the three pick up the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
But, its Maddison, in particular, that has impressed the most in the Leicester midfield this season, scoring 9 goals and assisting a further 3 for the Foxes so far. And its been in the important games where Maddison has made the biggest impact with goals against Spurs, Liverpool and Arsenal and an assist against Chelsea highlighting the fact that the Leicester man is a big game player.
This could see Maddison become the first Leicester player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award in the Foxes' 136-year history.
#3 Joe Gomez
After picking up a season-ending injury last campaign, Joe Gomez lost his place in the Liverpool side to Joel Matip and it looked as though the former Charlton man would never win it back. However, as fate would have it, Matip's injury in December gave Gomez a lifeline and since then, the Liverpool defender has not looked back and has formed an almost impenetrable partnership next to Virgil van Dijk.
In fact, since coming into the side, Gomez has started 11 Premier League games and conceded just one goal, keeping 10 clean sheets. To put into context just how impressive this is, without Gomez this season, Liverpool have kept just 2 clean sheets and have conceded 13 goals which highlights his importance to his side.
By winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Gomez would become the first Liverpool defender to win the trophy and the first Liverpool player to win the award since 2001.
#2 Marcus Rashford
With 19 goals and 5 assists to his name this season, Marcus Rashford has emerged as one of the favourites to pick up the PFA Young Player of the Year award, a trophy previously won 8 times by Manchester United players over the years. If he were to win the award, Rashford would be following in the footsteps of Wayne Rooney, who picked up the award two years running in 2005 and 2006.
Adding to this, the Manchester United forward has outscored the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and is only one goal away from Raheem Sterling, the current holder of the award.
However, due to injury, Rashford may not get the chance to further compete for the Golden Boot and may even miss the Euros in the summer. This will be a big miss for England who could also be without Harry Kane, leaving their striking options limited ahead of the Euros in the summer, a competition that they are one of the favourites to win.
#1 Trent Alexander-Arnold
The last Liverpool player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award was none other than Steven Gerrard, the scouser in the 2001 Liverpool team. Now, 19 years later, another Liverpool born player looks set to win the award for the Reds, with Trent Alexander-Arnold looking to cap off a potentially historic season with an individual award.
The Liverpool right-back has been the perfect modern-day fullback this season with a combination of defensive awareness and attacking initiative both key attributes to an unstoppable Liverpool side so far this season.
What's more, the 21-year-old has been a key player for Liverpool this season and has recorded 10 assists in the Premier League so far, a number that can only be bettered by Kevin De Bruyne. And it's his assist record that has propelled him up the ranks in the Premier League and among the favourites to win the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
To conclude, this season's PFA Young Player of the Year award will be the most competitive yet with the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Gomez and Rashford all among the favourites for the famous award.
