PFA Young Player Nominations Expose Glaring Blind Spots Among Voting Footballers

Just when you thought English footballers might be getting their act together—what with Anthony Gordon delivering Barcelona press conferences in fluent Spanish and Ibrahima Konate discussing his mental health struggles with admirable openness—the PFA Young Player of the Year nominations arrive to remind us that many of them still haven't got a clue about the game.

The Professional Footballers' Association's roughly 5,000 voting members have spoken, and their six nominees for the award suggest either a fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes a standout season, or a troublingly narrow view that only the biggest clubs deserve recognition. Possibly both.

To be fair, Manchester City's Rayan Cherki and Nico O'Reilly have earned their places. Junior Kroupi, who smashed the teenage Premier League goalscoring record with 13 in his debut campaign, clearly merits inclusion after catching the eye of Europe's elite. Even Kobbie Mainoo's nomination, despite losing half a season to Ruben Amorim's arrival before flourishing under Michael Carrick to reclaim his England World Cup slot, carries some logic.

Yet Mainoo's inclusion raises an uncomfortable question: has he genuinely outshone Bournemouth's Alex Scott? The case for both being selected simultaneously grows shakier when you consider the wider context.

Then come the baffling picks. Rio Ngumoha of Liverpool and Arsenal's Max Dowman as fifth and sixth nominees? That's where the wheels come off entirely.

Ngumoha offered Liverpool genuine attacking impetus during a miserable campaign, even as the club splashed out on Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz whilst retaining Mohamed Salah. The problem: he started just five Premier League matches, accumulating 551 minutes with two goals and an assist. Compare that to Rayan, who arrived at Bournemouth in January and delivered five goals and two assists across 1,120 minutes before securing World Cup football with Brazil. The numbers tell a starkly different story.

But Dowman's nomination borders on the absurd. The Arsenal prospect managed 153 Premier League minutes. That's it. One memorable goal against Everton—undoubtedly a moment to treasure—hardly constitutes a campaign worthy of national recognition.

Newcastle's Lewis Hall played over 2,000 minutes. West Ham's Mateus Fernandes clocked more than 3,000, earning whispers of an £80 million summer move. Between them and the dozen-plus other overlooked performers lies a chasm of actual contribution that the voting footballers have somehow managed to ignore.

The uncomfortable truth? Players have nominated their peers based on little more than social media buzz and the gravitational pull of shirt badges. When it comes to judging talent, the PFA membership might want to spend less time scrolling and more time watching.