RichardHeathcote/GettyImages

Nemanja Vidic: The favourite

Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand,Ryan Giggs and last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldoare all in the hunt for the prize, which was voted for before the recent dip in form of United's quintuple-chasers.

Veteran midfielder Giggs has won the Premier League a record 10 times and at 35-years-old this could represent his last chance to add the senior players' award to the two Young Player of the Year accolades he collected in the early 1990s.

Although his somewhat sentimental inclusion could look a little strange if Liverpool or Chelsea, who have no-one in the list for either the senior or young player prize, go on to win the league title.

Gerrard could benefit from a split vote for United players as David Ginola did during the 1999 treble-winning season, a fact which still irritates Sir Alex Ferguson.

Van der Sar is included after he kept a record 14 consecutive clean sheets earlier in the season and Ronaldo could become the first player to win the gong three times in succession.

However, the favourite to lift the trophy at Grosvenor House on April 26 remains Vidic, another ever-present during United's record run of clean sheets.

Apart from a dismal performance in the home defeat by Liverpool last month which culminated in a sending off and a two-match ban, Vidic has hardly put a foot wrong all season.

United also have two contenders to be crowned young player of the year in Jonny Evans andRafael Da Silva.

Evans has enjoyed an outstanding season, stepping in for Ferdinand on a regular basis but arguably Rafael, an 18-year-old Brazilian, has made an even more startling impact.

There is plenty of competition though, with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young both making the final six in recognition of Aston Villa's brilliant first half of the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur's Aaron Lennon also caught the eye of his fellow professionals, although it could be argued Manchester City's Stephen Ireland has enjoyed the most consistent season and is most likely to succeed Cesc Fabregas.

Ireland might have courted controversy earlier in his career but the youngster has put all that behind him this term with some stellar performances that have outshone Brazilian duo Robinho and Elano.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has reacted to the nominations by suggesting some of his squad would be in the frame if voting was at the end of the season.

"What I believe is that the PFA players of the year decisions are all made in February," the Frenchman said. "But February is not a really important time and that means the players who are rewarded are those who played well until February.

"Now is the most important time of the season - April, May - so I believe these awards just reward the players of the first six months of the season.

"A player who has been out until January has no chance to be voted but he can still be very influential for the rest of the season.

"If they vote in May I hope some of my players would be in there because that would mean we have done well tomorrow and later."