Zlatan Up For PFA Player Of The Year Award

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of six stars who have been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, ahead of the annual prize-giving night on 23 April.

The PFA Awards celebrate the best of English football in an evening attended by hundreds of current professional stars, to recognise the outstanding performers in every division. Each award is decided by votes that have been cast by fellow players, making it a highly-respected occasion.

Ibrahimovic is joined on the Player of the Year award shortlist by Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea's Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, Everton's Romelu Lukaku and Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.

Zlatan’s nomination caps a sensational debut season in England for the 35-year-old Swede, who joined the Reds as a free agent in the summer to link up with his former Internazionale boss Jose Mourinho.

Ibra has already scored 28 goals in all competitions and 17 of those have come in the Premier League, most recently, when he netted a superb opener in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Sunderland.

Following that clinical victory at the Stadium of Light, and having claimed our official Man of the Match award, Zlatan amusingly declared he is ageing in reverse like a famous film character played by Brad Pitt.

“I train hard," he told Sky Sports. "I believe in myself and I know what I am able to do. I'm not worried. The older you are, the more experienced, the more intelligent you are, and you don't waste energy on things you don't need. I feel like Benjamin Button. I was born old and will die young.”

We would also like to offer our congratulations to former United defender and Academy graduate Michael Keane, whose excellent form at Burnley has been recognised with a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year award. He faces competition from the aforementioned Lukaku and Kane, plus Manchester City's Leroy Sane, Sunderland's Jordan Pickford and Spurs midfielder Deli Alli.