Victor Lindelof appears to be in pole position to take Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year award, after several first team stars revealed who they'd voted for.
The ceremony at Old Trafford on Thursday will reveal who has won the Players' Player prize and the coveted Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, voted for by supporters.
Many United players have revealed how they voted, with Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Lee Grant all naming Lindelof as a stand-out candidate.
Lindelof himself named Luke Shaw when asked by United's official website , while Nemanja Matic said he believed David De Gea should retain the awards.
"I think Luke Shaw has been great," said Pogba. "He got the opportunity to play and the manager has given him a lot of confidence. Victor Lindelof, as well, has played great and shown his qualities and Marcus Rashford’s performances have been great as well, so I would say those three."
Herrera revealed he'd voted for Lindelof. "In a season where all of us had ups and downs, I think Victor has been the most consistent player," he said.
"I think he deserves it and I think he can become one of the best defenders in the world and can be an important player for Manchester United in the next few years. So he deserves it.”
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Juan Mata said: "I’m not going to tell you who I voted for but I will tell you about the players that, from my point of view, can win it.
"I think Victor Lindelof has had very good spells during the season. He’s shown he’s a mature player, he has confidence on the ball and he can defend well and he’s a great guy. I’d be happy for him if he wins it."
Mata also name-checked Shaw and Pogba and added: “I think we would swap winning the Player of the Year award for us all to win the Premier League. Whoever wins it, I’ll be very happy for them.”
Lindelof himself named Shaw, Pogba and Rashford as contenders, saying: "If I had to pick one, I think I’d go for Luke because he’s been great for the whole season."
De Gea won both the Sir Matt Busby and Players' Player award last season and despite a mixed campaign to say the least for the goalkeeper, Matic believes he'd be a worthy winner again.
"It’s difficult to say because the season wasn’t great for us," said the Serbian.
"I think David De Gea has again had some great games and great saves during the season and, if I had to choose one, it’s him. Every keeper can make mistakes during the season and the problem is people always remember the last game when that happened.
"We cannot forget how many points he has saved us this season. He’s an amazing goalkeeper, top class, one of the best in the world."
