De Gea nominated for PFA awards

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has been nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award and the Young Player prize following an outstanding campaign for the Reds.

The Spaniard, who was named the season's star man for 2013/14 at the in-house club awards night, is an ever-present for Louis van Gaal's side this term and has excelled between the posts, regularly making vital saves across the course of the season.

De Gea faces competition for the main PFA accolade, voted for by players from 100 clubs from the Barclays Premier League, Football League and Women's Super League, from Chelsea pair Diego Costa and Eden Hazard, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez and Liverpool attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho. In the Young Player of the Year category, he is up against fellow senior nominees Coutinho, Hazard andKane, as well as Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.

Peter Shilton was the last goalkeeper to win the main prize - in 1977/78 when he was at Nottingham Forest, while Spurs' Pat Jennings is the only other stopper to triumph - in 1975/76. United's last winner was Wayne Rooney in 2009/10, although Robin van Persie claimed the prize in 2011/12 in his final season at Arsenal before he joined the Reds; no Spaniard has ever won it. The winners will be announced at the 42nd PFA Awards in London on Sunday 26 April.

MUTV spoke exclusively to De Gea earlier on Thursday and he had this to say about his form this term. "It’s true that last season was good for me from a personal point of view, but I think that things are going even better for me this time around," he stated. "I think I’m competing better, performing well and I think my decision-making is a lot better this season. I’m happy and I’m trying to keep going in the same way and keep improving."