Burning Issue: Who should win PFA Player of the Year?

It’s around this time of year that the debate over who should win the Player of the Year starts in earnest, so we decided that three JOE hacks should each make a case for the three leading candidates.

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Conor Heneghan says... It would be grossly unfair and just a bit lazy to describe a Manchester United team 12 points ahead in the Premier League and still in contention in both the FA Cup and the Champions League as a one-man team, but there is no doubt as to which individual player has made the biggest impact at Old Trafford this season.

Not many people would have thought that Robin van Persie could have improved on his last season with Arsenal, but in terms of bare statistics he is well on his way to matching the 30 goals and 13 assists he delivered in the league last season (he currently stands on 19 goals and 11 assists), while there is every chance he will pick up both the PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Player of the Year for the second season running.

But while the stats are a telling barometer of his impact, they only tell half the story. Several of those league goals have been match-winning ones and although United would probably still be top without them, they wouldn’t have anything near the 12-point cushion that currently separates them from last year’s champions.

Gareth Bale is obviously de rigeur at the moment given his unbelievable displays for Spurs in recent weeks, but over the entire season to date, it is the definitive impact of Van Persie’s contributions which make him the outstanding contender in my eyes.

The hat-trick against Southampton after he missed a penalty in the second half, the late penalty winner against Liverpool, the goal and assist early doors against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the early goal against Arsenal at Old Trafford, the brilliant equaliser against West Ham in the FA Cup and of course, the last minute free-kick away to City; all of those goals have had a major impact on United’s season to date.

But it isn’t just the goals that make Van Persie great; every single thing he does oozes class. You won’t see the ball bobble off Van Persie’ shin as it does Wayne Rooney’s when he’s off form; his hold-up play is fantastic and he’s excellent at bringing others into play.

He has shifted between the leading the line and playing in the hole with ease, 11 assists points to his ability as a creator as well as a scorer and although it’s not something that has attracted much notice, he has chipped in at the back when necessary, especially when guarding the near post at set-pieces.

Van Persie isn’t going to go on the slaloming runs that have made Bale and Luis Suarez so exciting to watch this season; his is a more minimalist approach but it produces the maximum output, you might not see van Persie for 80 minutes but if a chance falls his way in the last minute, you know he’s going to bury it.

Bale and Suarez and even outside them, the likes of Juan Mata and Michu all make compelling cases to be in with a shout, but when it comes to the crunch, Van Persie has been far and away the best player in a side that, for the moment at least, look to be running away with the league and that is why I think his peers will vote him as the top dog once again.

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Sean Nolan says... Mark Hughes, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo. If Gareth Bale lands the PFA award this season he joins that illustrious trio as multiple winners of the award. It’s lofty company but the young Welshman deserves it.

Yes, in case you had forgotten, Gareth Bale has already won this award, two years ago when he fought off the likes of Charlie Adam and Scott Parker to the prize. Yep, it wasn’t a vintage year and Bale probably got the nod because of an epic game against Inter Milan and winning goals in big games against Arsenal and Chelsea as Spurs took fourth spot.

But 2011 Gareth Bale pales in comparison to 2013 Gareth Bale. The Bale we have seen emerge this year is quite simpy the most exciting player in the Premier League. While RVP may have more goals, and while Luis Suarez may be more important to his team, Bale stands alone in the category ‘I have to watch him whenever he plays’.

Take Monday night’s game against West Ham. That London derby was of only passing interest but you thought that maybe Bale might do something spectacular so you had better tune in. Sure enough he did. Twice. We fully expect him to do something similar on Sunday against Arsenal.

Bale has been doing it all season. For his country he has become their most vital player and goalscorer. He has scored for Spurs in the Cup, in Europe and he is the engine in their drive for a top four. Not only is he scoring lots, he is scoring lots of great goals too. Highlight goals. Goals that go viral and resonate beyond the normal football fan. Bale is becoming a 'name' beyond football fans, a sure sign of a real star.

Irrespective of where Spurs finish this season no player is as liable to do something extraordinary as Bale in the Premier League. In their time, Hughes, Henry and Ronaldo could claim the same. Whether Bale goes on to achieve as much as that trio did remains to be seen but for a single season body of work, a season vastly superior to his 2011 effort remember, he deserves the nod this term.

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Adrian Collins says... Luis Suarez player of the year – no question.

Luis Suarez is a player who has been absolutely vital to his team, and without him, Liverpool would be in a much worse position than they currently are. Sturridge's arrival has seen him drop off the scoring charts slightly, but he's still proven, most recently against Zenit, that he is a player who can produce moments of magic to inspire the team to victory.

For too long, Liverpool have relied entirely on Steven Gerrard to bail them out of those situations, but with Suarez there now, they have someone to share the responsibility. The award will undoubtedly end up being biased towards a player whose team is higher up the table, but Suarez has contributed so much to Liverpool both in terms of goals and his overall performance on the pitch that it would be impossible to ignore him.

While there's a huge fuss over Gareth Bale right now, Suarez has been in that type of electrifying form since the start of the season, taking players on, scoring free kicks and creating chances out of nothing, notable examples being his goals against Manchester City and the absolutely exquisite piece of play against Newcastle that saw him trap a ball on his shoulder.

He may be less of an athlete than Bale, but his natural ability on the ball far surpasses that of the Welshman. Some people will complain about his less that admirable antics, such as his diving, although he's admitted to that behaviour in an interview, and explained that he's trying to get his team to win any way he can, which is a type of desire that can be lacking in a lot of players these days.

Without all the fanfare and fuss that has followed Gareth Bale or Robin Van Persie around this last few weeks, Suarez has been outperforming almost every other striker in the league, not to mention that he runs his socks off tracking back and working for the team, something which is lacking in the Dutchman's game.

Suarez has also recently shown his ability to adapt to new players and new systems, and his almost instant understanding with Sturridge shows that he improves those around him rather than focusing on his own glory, which is a huge part of being a player within a team, rather than just an individual.

Although he can sometimes be seen screaming angrily at team mates, he expects the same levels of commitment and dedication that he gives from everyone, which can only be beneficial in the long run to the team.

If Liverpool finish in the hunt for European places or end up in the Europa League again next year, it will almost be entirely thanks to the inspiration and dedication shown by their Uruguayan star.