The Professional Footballer's Association has announced its nominees for the top players in English soccer.

The nominees are voted on by the players themselves and this year's finalists include Diego Costa, Philippe Coutinho, David de Gea, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Alexis Sanchez.

For many, Hazard is the runaway favorite. He was second in voting last season and has only lifted his game into another level in 2014-15. WhoScored.com has his as the best all-around player this season thanks to a number of factors. He is seventh in the league in goals scored with 12. He is fifth in assists with eight. He is third in the league in key passes per game, and he is the leading dribbler in the league.

Few players are boasting such a balance across a number of categories.

His teammate Diego Costa, of course, is the league's top scorer and has been a big reason, alongside Hazard that Chelsea has essentially runaway with the league title. Costa has 19 goals and three assists, but of the three players with 19 goals, he has managed the feat in far fewer minutes. Moreover, Costa is scoring at his current rate while averaging just 3.1 shots per game, good for seventh in the league.

Then there is Alexis Sanchez, who has also come into the Premier League and lifted Arsenal into second place in the league with a tremendous statline of 14 goals and eight assists. In many ways, he should be the man to lift the away when all is said and done. He averages more shots on goal than Hazard, and he is averaging 2.4 key passes per game, good for sixth in the league. He is the third-best dribbler in the league and contributes more defensively with 2.1 tackles per game to Hazard's 0.8. Sanchez also makes more interceptions per game (1.2 per game to 0.6 per game). However, the Chilean does get dispossessed more often and commits poor touches with greater frequency.

Then there is the case of Harry Kane, who is the feel-good story of the league. Just 21, the Tottenham star has 19 goals this year, after only scoring three in 10 appearances. He has become the go-to guy for Tottenham, helping the side stay in the race for a top-four place all year long. But he is not one to make key passes and is not the most prolific of dribblers. He is also not one to contribute much defensively.

Coutinho is an interesting selection as the 22-year-old's stats do not showcase a star on the level of the other players nominated. He has four goals and four assists in England, averages just 1.5 key passes per game and about 2.6 shots per game. He is, however, a solid dribbler with decent defensive stats (1.7 tackles per game and 0.5 interceptions per game) for an attacking midfielder.

And then there is David de Gea, who in many circles will be the favorite to win it all. Has there been a goalie more important to his team than de Gea is United? The team is rarely involved in blowout wins, meaning that de Gea is often called on to bail out a mediocre defense in tight games where one goal could mean the difference between winning points and losing them. He has not gotten many days off as Manchester's No. 1 guy and he has responded with growing confidence and big moment saves.

So who should win it all?

Hazard is the favorite. He is well-rounded, having a career year and has Chelsea atop the league. But Sanchez has arguably been of greater import to his club, helping Arsenal to second place and putting up arguably better numbers than Hazard. But neither players are the runaway MVPs on their clubs. Hazard has Costa and Cesc Fabregas who has been excellent in his first year for Chelsea. Meanwhile, Sanchez has had the benefits of seeing Mesut Ozil revive his best form and Santi Cazorla who has excelled in a better system. And most importantly, Arsenal has benefited from young Francis Coquelin's ability to stabilize the midfield. De Gea? He is the man carrying United for a better part of the year all on his own with the offense becoming inconsistent and the defense imploding in crucial moments.