There is an extremely strong list of contenders for this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year award.
The likes of Gareth Bale, Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere are commonly considered to be among the front-runners but, with a string of scintillating performances, Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll has established himself as the thinking fan’s dark horse.
Having played an instrumental role last season as the Magpies won the Championship at a canter, Carroll has since quashed pre-season predictions that he would struggle to make an impact at Premier League level with a rash of goals.
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His assured displays have attracted admiring comments from Arsene Wenger and Carlo Ancelotti, and he has been included in the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against France.
Off-the-field issues are all which may prevent the 21-year-old garnering domestic and international recognition. A series of court appearances on allegations of violent behaviour make Carroll a politically volatile choice for the FA.
Nevertheless, if he continues his impressive scoring form in the Premier League, the 21-year-old may prove hard for Capello and the PFA voting panel to ignore.
If Carroll is to be crowned the country’s best young player in May, he will certainly have to overcome stiff competition from a number of other rising stars. That said, none of the main contenders have thus far staked an indisputable claim to the award.
The form of Tottenham’s Bale has become one of the hottest topics in football recently, thanks in large part to a couple of star-making turns in the Champions League against Internazionale.
But the flying Welshman still exhibits the inconsistency associated with most young players, with devastating displays interspersed with several ineffectual performances. There also remains the possibility that media hype and transfer speculation will have an adverse affect on his football.
Hart is another who has impressed, building on last year’s impressive loan spell at Birmingham by establishing himself as first-choice shot-stopper for club and country with a string of composed performances.
But, rightly or wrongly, awards panels tend to favour attacking players, and so the less glamorous nature of Hart’s position is likely to count against him.
Despite being only 18, Jack Wilshere has forced his way into the Arsenal starting 11 ahead of schedule this term, and even broke into the England squad for the friendly against Hungary in August.
However, the midfielder’s youth may put pay to his chances if the voting panel decide that a slightly more experienced candidate is more worthy this time around.
The cases for other fringe contenders are even less convincing. Both Adam Johnson and Theo Walcott have impressed this season, but the former’s issues with his manager and the latter’s injury problems are likely to rule both out of the running.
Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez has adjusted quickly to English football and looks a natural goalscorer, but the imminent return of Wayne Rooney may limit the Mexican’s first-team opportunities in the second half of the season.
The contest for the PFA Young Player of the Year will almost certainly be hard fought. But if you’re willing to take a gamble on current form, Newcastle’s Andy Carroll is well worth a flutter.
