Virgil van Dijk on eight-man Premier League Player of the Season shortlist

Virgil van Dijk has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award. He's the sole Liverpool representative on the eight-man list.

It's a more eclectic mix than usual, with only two clubs boasting multiple nominees. Liverpool, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle all have a player in the running, while Manchester City and Arsenal have two apiece.

Manchester City's Phil Foden is expected to take home the award, after an excellent individual campaign that looks as though it will spearhead his side to a fourth successive Premier League title. The inclusion of Van Dijk, meanwhile, will raise one or two eyebrows.

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Nonetheless, it's an admirable selection. The season is 38 games long, and for most of them, Van Dijk was a central figure as Liverpool sustained a legitimate title challenge. The recent defensive slump does not take away from his previous performances.

As recently as the start of March, when the quadruple dream was still on, we mentioned that Van Dijk could even be an outside contender in the Ballon d'Or discussion if Liverpool went on to achieve its season goals. Nor was it just us — a month later, the defender remained in the top 20 of GOAL's power rankings.

Now that the clean sheets have dried up, it's easy to forget. But this is welcome recognition for Van Dijk at a time when his long-term Liverpool future is somewhat up for discussion.

That said, there are those within the Liverpool camp who could legitimately feel they had at least as strong a case. In terms of consistency across the campaign, few can match Alexis Mac Allister. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah would have obviously liked to make the list; he has significantly more goal contributions than Alexander Isak, who did make the cut, so that will rankle.

Here is the list of nominees in full:

• Phil Foden

• Erling Haaland

• Declan Rice

• Martin Ødegaard

• Alexander Isak

• Cole Palmer

• Ollie Watkins

• Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool.com says: There's no hiding from the fact that Van Dijk is a surprise inclusion on the list, but it's not an outrageous choice. After all, few would truly try and pin Liverpool's recent defensive downturn on him, and his form before the team's slump was impeccable.

It's a timely reminder to look at the bigger picture when it comes to Van Dijk. There are question marks over whether he really warrants a new contract, given that he will turn 33 in the summer — and while it is a decision that requires some serious consideration, it would be rash to look at recent results and declare that he is past his best.

So far, there's been no indication that the center-back is anything other than world class when playing in a side that is functioning as it should. If Slot can fix the slight issues further up the pitch, Van Dijk could still be a key player for a few years yet.