Manchester City’s Yaya Toure has been included in the shortlist for the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) player of the year award on Friday.

The Ivory Coast in-form midfielder produced some impressive displays this season to help his side mount a challenge for the prestigious English Premier League title.

He scored 18 goals and created five others, with his dead-ball abilities earning him widespread praise.

He will compete with Liverpool trio Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge as well as Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Southampton’s Adam Lallana for the award.

Striking duo Suarez and Sturridge have scored 49 league goals between them this season, with Uruguay international Suarez leading the Premier League scoring charts with 29 goals for Brendan Rodgers' table-topping side.

Captain Gerrard, 33, has contributed 13 league goals and 11 assists for liverpool this season with the England midfielder aiming to lift his first Premier League title.

With four games left Liverpool have a two-point advantage over second-placed Chelsea.

Sturridge and Hazard were also shortlisted for young player of the year, the PFA said on its website (www.thepfa.com), along with Liverpool's England winger Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley (Everton), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) and Luke Shaw (Southampton).

Gareth Bale won both awards last year playing for Tottenham Hotspur before his world record transfer to Real Madrid in the close season following in the footsteps of Andy Gray (1977) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007) who also achieved that feat.

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