United trio head award nominees

Three Manchester United FC players are included on the six-man list of nominees for the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award, with Cristiano Ronaldo expected to battle it out with Chelsea FC forward Didier Drogba for the coveted title.

African first?
Portugal winger Ronaldo, 22, has scored 16 goals in 29 Premiership games, a mark only eclipsed by Drogba, who has 18 goals from his 32 league outings this season. The Ivory Coast striker, 29, would be the first African to land the accolade, established in 1974, if successful in London on Sunday night.

Double target
United midfielders Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are also in contention along with last term's winner Steven Gerrard of Liverpool FC, while Ronaldo and Arsenal FC playmaker Cesc Fabregas are nominated for both the main honour and the Young Player version. For the latter prize they face competition from United's Wayne Rooney - seeking a hat-trick of wins after being picked by his peers in 2005 and 2006 - as well as Kevin Doyle (Reading FC), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur FC) and Micah Richards (Manchester City FC).