Coutinho Battles Tottenham Duo for Young Player of the Year Honours

For the second year running, Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho is up against Tottenham striker Harry Kane for PFA Young Player of the Year honours. Last year, Kane took the award, though with his goal tally down slightly in 2015-16, Liverpool’s Brazilian has a chance of unseating the homegrown favourite.

Also up for the award this year is Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, who has a strong case to make for winning the award himself and could end up splitting the vote with teammate Kane, opening a gap for Coutinho to win. Rounding things out this year are Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley of Everton, and Jack Butland of Stoke City.

Kane, though, is again the clear favourite to win it, as he is the only young player nominee also up for the PFA’s Player of the Year award. There, he faces Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, West Ham’s Demitri Payet, and Leicester City trio Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kante. Vardy, Mahrez, Ozil, and Payet will all be favoured.

Past Liverpool winners of the Young Player of the Year award include Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, and Ian Rush. Liverpool players have won senior Player of the Year honours twice, with Luis Suarez taking the trophy after the 2013-14 season and Owen doing a rare double and taking both awards in 1997-98.

Tottenham players have won three of the last four Young Player of the Year awards, with Kyle Walker and Gareth Bale winning in 2011-12 and 2012-13 before Kane won it last year. Like Owen, Bale also did the double, taking both youth and senior awards in 2012-13.