**Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney leads the nominations for the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award.**Rooney, 24, is joined on the shortlist by Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Manchester City frontman Carlos Tevez.
Rooney and Fabregas are also nominees for the young player of the year award.
Aston Villa midfielder James Milner and Birmingham’s on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart complete the list.
Hart has spent the season on loan at St Andrews from Manchester City.
Rooney, who has already scored 34 goals for his club this term, is favourite to capture the PFA prize and make it the fourth successive year it has gone to a United player, following back-to-back wins for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007 and 2008 and Ryan Giggs’ success last season.
He and Fabregas, 22, will compete to join a select band of players to have won the young player award in the same season as the main honour after Andy Gray in 1977 and Ronaldo in 2007.
Fabregas is out until the end of the season after cracking his right fibula during the first leg of the Gunners’ Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, but played a key part in their challenge for the Premier League title which was seemingly ended by their defeat by Tottenham on Wednesday.
Drogba, 32, has hit 32 goals to leave Chelsea on the brink of the first double in the club’s history, while Tevez, 26, has also enjoyed a prolific campaign; netting 28 goals since joining City from neighbours United last summer.
Aston Villa winger Ashley Young won the young player of the year award last season.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.