PFA Players Shortlist: Where’s Anderson, Rooney and Rio

The PFA Awards Shortlist is out. Those who haven’t seen it yet here’s the list. Have a look at it first.

PFA player of the year:

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
David James (Portsmouth)

PFA young player of the year

Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Micah Richards (Manchester City)

Now there will always be disagreements with the lists every year. But what makes things surprising is the absence of certain players on the list. Steven Gerrard inexplicably makes it into the list despite not doing much of note; Liverpool are fourth — and barely — in the table. So it’s not much to talk about this season. Torres, on the other hand, deserves his name on the shortlist. Ronaldo anyway looks like he’ll win the award. However it’s surprising that Rio Ferdinand or Wayne Rooney don’t make it to the list. It’s understood that Rooney had an underwhelming season by his high standards. But he’s had 11 league goals and 11 assists. Plus he clearly makes a hell lot of a difference to our side’s play when he on the pitch. He certainly has done a lot more than Steven Gerrard, despite his injury affected season.

And Rio Ferdinand? How the fuck isn’t he on the list?

In the young players’ list it’s surprising that some players, according to the PFA, are never too old. Fernando Torres is 24 years old. How in the world is he ‘young’. Or what is young anymore? Anderson has been the surprise package of the season, and considering his age and what he’s brought to the side in the absence of Scholes and Carrick at one point. He also had one of his better performances against the bigger teams, and that is a good metric to assess a players’ worth. Anderson did that especially against Liverpool and Arsenal.

So what do you think? Shouldn’t Anderson be on the PFA young players’ list? And how about Rio or Rooney?