Conte cannot choose between nominated Chelsea stars

Chelsea’s trophy cabinet looks set for at least one more addition before this season is out, with the Blues sitting pretty atop the Premier League and in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

But manager Antonio Conte will also be interested to see which, if any, of his players scoop the league’s prizes for individual players, after N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard were both nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

They joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez on the shortlist this week, after topping the vote carried out by their peers.

And Conte insists no-one is more deserving of the recognition than his two star performers, although he would not like to be the one to have to choose between them.

“It’s great for them,” he said. “It’s a great achievement to receive this nomination.

“I hope for them to be the best player of the year, and also above all to win the league. These awards are very important but the most important thing is to match these combinations.

“I don’t like to make a choice between two of my players. They deserve the best because they having a good season.

“With N’Golo and Eden I think all my players are having a great season and they deserve the best.

“I’m pleased because it’s a fight between two of my players and also four other players from other teams. I want to see who is the winner.”