Bukayo Saka’s nomination for the Premier League Player of the Season award ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo has been described as “laughable” by Rio Ferdinand.
The Premier League has made the following announcement: Saka, Jarrod Bowen, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min, and James Ward-Prowse have all been nominated for the award.
Despite scoring 18 goals and giving three assists in the league this season, Ronaldo was not included in the shortlist. In the same competition, Saka has 11 goals and six assists.
Despite the fact that Ronaldo has contributed to more goals than his 20-year-old counterpart, Arsenal will finish first in the rankings. Since his return to English football, Ronaldo has won the Player of the Month award twice, in September and April. Despite this, Ferdinand is dissatisfied with the decision of the regulatory body.
“Saka’s in the in the Player of the Year nominees?” said the ex-defender – who played alongside Ronaldo for six years – on his Vibe with Five YouTube show. “I wouldn’t have had Saka in there yet, as well as he’s done. I wouldn’t have had him over Ronaldo, no, not this season.
“Ronaldo should be in ahead of three of four of those guys in there. He probably doesn’t win it but in terms of nominees, it’s laughable.
According to the Premier League’s website, Saka has “led the charge for an Arsenal team chasing a top-four finish for the first time since 2015-16” and “shown great character to bounce back” after missing the deciding penalty in the Euro 2020 final.
The Premier League also named its Young Player of the Season nominees. Alexander-Arnold, Saka, Phil Foden, Conor Gallagher, Tyrick Mitchell, Mason Mount, Aaron Ramsdale, and Declan Rice have all been named in the list of nominees.
They’ve also announced their five contenders for Manager of the Season. Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool are joined on the shortlist by Eddie Howe of Newcastle, Thomas Frank of Brentford, and Patrick Vieira of Crystal Palace. The voting for all three categories is now closed, and the winners will be announced following Sunday’s final round of matches.
