Five at Five: PFA contenders
Edwin van der Sar
No goalkeeper has won the award since Peter Shilton inspired Nottingham Forest to the league title in 1978, but with United's Dutch stopper having seemingly broken every record going this season, it would be a fitting end to a superb season for the 38-year-old if he could carry off the prestigious award and make a little bit more history in doing so.
Rio Ferdinand
United's reliable centre-back and stand-in captain has enjoyed another season to remember after raising the Champions League trophy last term. A huge part of United's remarkable run of clean sheets, Ferdinand's influence was underlined by his return to the fold on Wednesday night, looking calm
Nemanja Vidic
The other half of United's superb centre-back pairing, Vidic has combined sterling defensive work with a career best six goals so far this term, including crucial openers against Chelsea and Inter Milan and a last-minute winner at home to Sunderland. If Vidic was to claim the award, he would be only the third defender to win the trophy since the birth of the Premier League in 1992.
Ryan Giggs
The United stalwart won back-to-back Young Player awards in 1992 and 1993 but has never claimed the senior honour. But after a stand-out season, capped by his wonderful goal against West Ham, the Welsh wizard fully deserves his place on the shortlist and if he can inspire the Reds to league title number 18, he would be difficult to overlook.
Cristiano Ronaldo
No player has ever won the award three years on the bounce, but few players, if any, have displayed such talent with such consistency as United's Portuguese star. He has 15 Premier League goals to his name already this term, a brilliant return from a winger, especially given that he missed the opening weeks of the season.
Mnasemaje