Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney shortlisted for PFA award.

Drogba, Fabregas, Rooney and Tevez have all had successful seasons

Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is among the nominations for the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award.

Rooney is joined on the four-man shortlist by Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Manchester City ace Carlos Tevez.

Rooney and Fabregas are also nominees for the young player of the year award.

Aston Villa midfielder James Milner and Birmingham City’s on-loan goalkeeper Joe Hart complete that particular list.

Hart, 22, has spent the season on loan at St Andrew’s from Manchester City.

Rooney, who has already scored 34 goals for his club this term, is favourite to capture the PFA prize and make it the fourth successive year it has gone to a United player.

Cristiano Ronaldo recorded back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008, while Ryan Giggs was handed the honours last season.

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Rooney, 24, and Fabregas, 22, will compete to join a select band of players to have won the young player award in the same season as the main honour.

Andy Gray, the former Aston Villa and Scotland striker, and Ronaldo achieved the feat in 1977 and 2007 respectively.

Both Rooney and Fabregas have already won the young player prize in the past. Rooney triumphed in 2005 and 2006, while Fabregas collected it in 2008.

Fabregas is currently injured and will miss the rest of the season after cracking his right fibula during the first leg of the Gunners’ Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.

But the Spaniard remains a key player for the Gunners, whose Premier League title aspirations were seemingly ended by their defeat by Tottenham on Wednesday.

BBC African Footballer of the Year Drogba, 32, has hit 32 goals to leave Chelsea on the brink of the first double in the club’s history, while Tevez, 26, has also enjoyed a prolific campaign; netting 28 goals since joining City from neighbours United last summer.

The 24-year-old Milner, who looks like being a key player for England at this year’s World Cup, is trying to emulate Aston Villa team-mate Ashley Young, who won the young player accolade last season.