Which young star will follow in Ronaldo and Rooney’s footsteps?

It’s an award which Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Paul Gascoigne have all won in the past. And as the Premier League takes its second international break of the season so far, we thought we’d look at which stars stand the best chance of winning this season’s PFA Young Player of the Year.

Dele Alli – 5/4

Tottenham Hotspur and England star Dele Alli could become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Young Player of the Year gongs, should he pick up the award come next May.

He already has two goals to his name this season in the league, playing a key role in Spurs’ unbeaten start. His fearless approach to every game has earned him 13 senior international call-ups and he’s establishing himself as one of Tottenham’s key players.

Let’s just hope Real Madrid don’t come sniffing…

Marcus Rashford – 7/2

Manchester United’s latest youth prodigy is proving that last year’s unbelievable form was no fluke, having already netted three goals in five league appearances this year.

While many expected first-team opportunities to be hard to come by for the 18-year-old this season, he’s continuing to impress alongside the likes of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, keeping Anthony Martial out of the starting line-up in the process.

Alex Iwobi – 9/2

There’s a backlog of players waiting to return to Arsene Wenger’s starting XI, but Alex Iwobi’s consistency is keeping them all out.

The 20-year-old slotted straight into the senior squad last season, and is now establishing himself as one of Wenger’s key playmakers, while the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lucas Perez are being forced to watch on from the sidelines.

In fact, he has more assists to his name since the turn of the year than Mesut Ozil in Arsenal colours, so it’s easy to see why Iwobi’s price is so short.

Kelechi Iheanacho – 8/1

While the red half of Manchester will be backing their young talisman to win this season’s award, the blue half will be doing exactly the same with a talent of their own.

Though Kelechi Iheanacho may struggle for first-team opportunities in a Manchester City side boasting such an array of attacking talent, there’s no doubting the Nigerian’s potential, and he just has a nack for making a difference when he does feature.

Already with two goals and three assists to his name this season in the top-flight, don’t be surprised if the 20-year-old becomes just the second City player to win the award.

Hector Bellerin – 10/1

Should Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin win the award, he’d be just the second defender to do so since the Premier League began.

While that makes it seem unlikely, remember that this is a player whose name was linked with Barcelona all summer after a campaign which saw him feature in the PFA Team of the Year.

We’re beginning to lose count of the amount of times the 21-year-old’s pace has come to the rescue over the last few years for the Gunners, but he’s improving all areas of his game as he gets older and is becoming a nightmare for attackers to come up against.

Another strong season for Arsenal could see the coveted prize come Bellerin’s way.

Where’s your money going? Can Alli retain his crown, or will a young Gunner take it from him? Have your say in the comments section below!

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing