Erling Haaland & Marcus Rashford among eight Man Utd & Man City stars nominated for awards

Erling Haaland and Marcus Rashford are among eight Manchester United and Manchester City nominees for the 2023 North West Football Awards (NWFA).

The awards, which are held every year, celebrate the best football talent in the region, both on and off the pitch. The nominees for the 2023 Player of the Year awards were announced earlier this week, with Haaland and Rashford set to be among the frontrunners for the Premier League edition, although Everton’s Jordan Pickford and Alisson of Liverpool offer competition on the four-man shortlist.

Should Haaland win, he would add to the glut of personal and team trophies he has collected since joining City, which include all three Player of the Year awards from last season (the PFA, FWA and Premier League). However, Rashford did beat the Norwegian to the PFA Fans' Player of the Year for 2022/23.

The Manchester clubs also have representatives in the Rising Star award, with Rico Lewis and Alejandro Garancho selected as possible winners. Curtis Jones and Dwight McNeil have also been nominated. There are similar awards for the Championship, League One, League Two and National League.

In the WSL, City’s Bunny Shaw and United’s Hannah Blundell are up for the Women’s Player of the Season accolade, while Esme Morgan and Maya Le Tissier have been included in the nominees in the Rising Star section.

Fans can vote for their preferred candidate here, with the vote set to close at 5pm on Friday 29 September. The winners will be announced at the NWFA ceremony held at The Point, Emirates Old Trafford on 6 November. Other awards categories are expected to be announced before the event.