Aston Villa duo are in the running for top awards

Emery is among the nominees for Premier League manager of the season, while Watkins has been shortlisted for the player of the year accolade.

Emery’s team sit fourth in the table after an outstanding season under the Spanish boss.

They lead fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by seven points, and victory over Liverpool on Monday night will be enough for Villa to secure Champions League football next season.

The Villa boss will be competing for the award with two managers currently battling it out for the Premier League title.

Mikel Arteta from Arsenal has also been nominated, as has Pep Guardiola from Manchester City.

Others to be nominated include Jurgen Klopp from Liverpool – who announced earlier in the campaign he would be leaving the club at the end of the season – and Andoni Iraola – who has overseen a successful first season as Bournemouth boss.

The extent of the job Emery has done since his arrival at Villa cannot be understated as they were languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table when he took over.

Highlights of the season for Emery’s team include doing the double over Arsenal and beating Manchester City at home.

If they do finish in the top four it will be the first time they have played in Europe’s elite club competition since 1982/83, when they were the European Cup holders.

Striker Watkins has enjoyed a prolific season with 19 goals and 12 assists in the top flight.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are on the list, along with Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Newcastle’s Alexander Isak and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.