'%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)
We are approaching the home run stage of the Premier League season, with Liverpool having been by far the most consistent and dominant team in the land.
The Reds look well on course to end their three-decade wait for a league title and they could shatter a host of records in the process.
Several players have distinguished themselves with their performances throughout the season and their displays have played no small part in helping their various clubs remain on course to achieve their season objectives.
Beyond team prizes and trophy presentations, individual awards are also handed out towards the end of the season, with players receiving accolades for their displays in various categories.
While prizes like PFA, PWA, and Fans' Player of the Year awards are open to footballers of all ages, there is another category that is contestable by only players of a certain age.
The PFA Young Player of the Year is an accolade given to a player adjudged to have been the best in the league under the age of 23.
It was handed out for the first time in 1974, with Kevin Beattle of Ipswich Town winning the first award and since then, bonafide legends of the game including Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, and Steven Gerrard have won the accolade.
It is held in high regard by the winners, as it is decided by their fellow professionals and Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling is the current holder of the award, having inspired the Mancunians to the Premier League title last year.
All players in this category are still eligible for the more prestigious PFA Player Of the Year and on three occasions in the past, both awards have been won by the same player.
With a little under three months to go until the winner is announced, we shall be having a rundown of the top five contenders for the PFA Young Player Of the Year ward this season.
Honourable mentions: Ben Chilwell (Leicester City), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Dean Henderson (Sheffield United), Scott McTomminay (Manchester United).
5. Tammy Abraham (Chelsea)
Following Chelsea's transfer ban for infringements on registering under-aged players, Tammy Abraham was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the club's inability to sign players, as he was handed the mantle of leading the line.
It is an opportunity he has grabbed with both feet and although Chelsea had a history of struggling number 9s before him, the lanky forward put those fears to rest.
Having starred in the Championship and fired Aston Villa to promotion, many were skeptical that the 21-year-old could continue his good form in the top-flight in light of his previous shortcomings at Swansea.
This, however, proved to not be the case and Tammy Abraham has taken to the Premier League at the second time like a Duck to water.
Although Chelsea have flattered to deceive on occasion, they still occupy 4th position on the table and made it out of a tricky Champions League group.
They owe a large part of their achievements to the displays of their striker who has scored 15 goals in all competitions for the London side, with 13 of those and three assists coming in the Premier League.
4. James Maddison (Leicester City)
After starring for Norwich City in the Championship - where he was nominated for the Champions Young Player of the Year award - James Maddison was snapped up by Leicester City in the summer of 2018 and he went on to have a breakout campaign for the Foxes.
In his first season at the King Power Stadium, Maddison scored and assisted seven goals to help the Foxes to a 9th place finish and he has picked up from where he left off this term.
So far, he has scored six goals and assisted three times, while his importance as the team's chief creative force is highlighted by the fact that he has posted impressive numbers including through-balls (17), 153 crosses and 50 goalscoring chances.
Given his impressive form, it came as no surprise when he won a maiden international cap for England last summer, while a summer transfer to struggling Manchester United has also been suggested.
Leicester City have been high-flyers this season and while Jamie Vardy might get most of the plaudits, the contributions of James Maddison cannot be underestimated.
3. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
Jack Grealish captained Aston Villa to promotion from the Championship last season and for his efforts, he was voted into the Championship Team of the Season.
The last time Grealish contested in the Premier League, he was part of a Villa side that finished bottom of the league to end a run of 24 consecutive years in the Premier League since inception, with the midfielder setting a new unwanted record by losing all 16 matches he contested that term.
It has been a different story upon his return and while the Villans might still be engaged in a relegation dogfight, their skipper has shone like a million stars and has been one of the standout midfielders in the league.
With seven goals and five assists this term, the Villa academy graduate has received widespread praise for his performances especially in the absence of midfield partner John McGinn and many are giving him an outside chance of making England's squad for Euro 2020.
Although he turned 24 last September, the rule of eligibility for the PFA Young Player of the Year states that players had to have been 23 at the start of the season - which was the case with last season's winner Raheem Sterling (who turned 24 in December 2018) - and if he is to keep up his impressive displays, Grealish could become the first Aston Villa player since James Milner in 2010 to win the award.
2. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
With over 200 appearances for Manchester United and 38 caps for England, you could be forgiven for thinking that Marcus Rashford is a veteran of many years but the truth is that he is still only 22.
He has come a long way from being a prodigiously talented teenager who captured the imagination of the world on his professional debut and after many seasons of unfulfilled promise, Rashford finally seems set to fulfill his undoubted potential.
He has been the brightest spark in what has been another dour campaign for Manchester United and currently leads the way as the club's top scorer by a long mile.
On a personal level, the England international has broken his individual season-tally with 19 goals in all competitions and seemed on course for his first 30-goal season until a back injury suffered against Wolves in the FA Cup halted his progress.
Rashford has been near unstoppable of late, evidenced by the fact that he was named PFA Player of the Month of December 2019 and fans of the Red Devils would be sweating on his fitness to aid in their quest for a top-four finish.
With several nominations, he has been an almost ever-present contender for the PFA Player of the Year over the last few years but has never won it and if he can return from injury to fire his boyhood club to glory, this could be the year he breaks his duck.
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
A long-term injury sustained by Nathaniel Clyne last season prematurely thrust Alexander-Arnold into the first-team action earlier than he would have hoped but his performances were so domineering that the more established Clyne could not find gametime upon his return to fitness before his departure for Bournemouth.
The 21-year-old has been miles ahead of the competition in his position and can genuinely lay claim to have been the best right-back in the world over the last one year, with his bombarding runs forward and exquisite delivery forming an integral part to Liverpool's recent success.
Alongside Andrew Robertson, the Englishman has redefined what it means to be a modern full-back and a case can be made to consider the pair among the greatest full-back combinations the Premier League has ever seen.
Having watched as his Scottish partner registered a record 12 assists last term, Alexander-Arnold has already crossed his mark of seven from last season and is just four assists short of breaking Robertson's record for most number of assists by a defender.
The English international has raised the bar so high that only the great Kevin De Bruyne is ahead of him in terms of assists in the league this season and with there plenty years of development left in him, it is scary to think of the levels that Trent Alexander-Arnold could reach.
