The Premier League's elite players will descend on London's Grosvenor House Hotel this evening to celebrate a year of individual success across the division.

Many awards are up for grabs throughout the course of the night at the gala event, but the PFA Player of the Year award is the one which is understandably given the most attention.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the six players in contention to land the accolade, which has been won by the likes of Gareth Bale, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and, most recently, Luis Suarez.

1. Eden Hazard

Club: Chelsea
Position: Attacking midfielder
Appearances: 32
Goals: 13
Assists: 8

Overview: Hazard admitted last summer that, if he was to elevate himself among the current greats, he would have to work on rounding his game to find the net on a more regular basis. Thirteen league goals for the season, combined with a further eight assists, suggests that the Belgian has certainly managed to take his game in the right direction.

Hazard's goals and ability to break down even the most stubborn of opposition defences has so often proved key for Chelsea this season, as they canter to their first Premier League title in five years. Many people's favourite to win the award, the former Lille attacker now finds himself in that second bracket of players looking to challenge the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to become the world's best. Should he continue to progress at this rate, then challenging for individual accolades on a bigger scale is inevitable.

What they said: "I enjoy everything Hazard does on the pitch. The way he carries himself; that decisive streak in him and the fact that he is improving every year. I think he can get better still and he's a big reason why Chelsea are on top of the table." - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on the Belgian's quality.

Standout moment: What makes Hazard so important to the Chelsea cause is the fact that 18 of his goals in all competitions have come in 17 different games. It is that consistency which makes him such a threat, as witnessed against Manchester United last weekend when he scored the decisive goal to essentially seal the title for the Blues.

Key Stat: Hazard has had a hand in 15 goals in his last 17 Premier League appearances - eight goals of his own and seven assists.

2. Diego Costa

Club: Chelsea
Position: Striker
Appearances: 24
Goals: 19
Assists: 3

Overview: It was after a 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last March, a game which saw the Blues squander many chances before conceding, when Jose Mourinho hit out at his players by suggesting that they lacked what was needed to win the title. Chelsea essentially threw in the towel following that surprise reverse at Selhurst Park, and it is widely considered that it was at this stage which the Portuguese started building for the future.

In came Cesc Fabregas and Costa, both of whom have played a huge part in helping the West London outfit all but secure the league crown this time around. Seven goals in his first four games on these shores helped the Brazilian-born Spaniard get off to a fine start to life under Mourinho and, while the goals have dried up in the second half of the season due to a string of niggling injury problems, Costa can still reflect happily on his 19 strikes for the campaign.

What they said: "[Costa is] comfortable in the team. We were building the side in a way where we were waiting for a certain type of striker. I think everyone knows now why Chelsea did well to wait for Diego rather than buying someone else in the midwinter last season." - Mourinho on his star striker's impressive start to life at the club.

Standout moment: Plenty to choose from, but bagging a hat-trick against Swansea City on his second home start for the club certainly helped Costa become an instant hero at Stamford Bridge. What made it so remarkable was the fact that the former Atletico Madrid star was a major doubt heading into the game, yet that did not stop him brushing the Swans aside.

Key stat: Costa has the best minutes-to-goal ratio of any player to have scored at least 15 goals in Premier League history.

3. David de Gea

Club: Manchester United
Position: Goalkeeper
Appearances: 33
Saves: 82
Clean sheets: 10

Overview: Long gone are the days when the Spanish goalkeeper was seen as a mistake waiting to happen between the sticks, De Gea has now transformed himself into one of the world's finest goalkeepers. His ability to command the box, arguably the biggest improvement to his all-round game, has helped United to build from the back on their way to what is almost certain to be a Champions League return.

So often in the first half of the season, when the Red Devils were struggling to adapt to Louis van Gaal's unorthodox system, the 24-year-old was repeatedly called into action to save his side. The fact that De Gea has been afforded little rest this season no matter what the competition only highlights just how important he still remains, despite the vast improvements made elsewhere in recent months.

What they said: "I want him to stay. The player is the boss - he can say 'yes' or 'no'. You will have to ask David de Gea, not me. He has to sign. We have offered him a lot of money." - Van Gaal on transfer negotiations with the Real Madrid-linked keeper.

Standout moment: De Gea has enjoyed many fine outings this term, but perhaps none more so than the home fixture against arch-rivals Liverpool back in December. The Spaniard set a record for the number of saves made in a single game this season by producing eight mammoth stops. One in particular to deny Raheem Sterling, who was through on goal, particularly stands out, with United prevailing comfortable winners in the end.

Key stat: The one-time Atletico stopper has played every minute of every league game this season, boasting a 100% catch rate during that time.

4. Philippe Coutinho

Club: Liverpool
Position: Attacking midfielder
Appearances: 30
Goals: 4
Assists: 4

Overview: The Brazilian midfielder's career had threatened to take off for far too long prior to this season, without actually doing so. His time at Inter Milan was brought to an end for a bargain fee thought to be in the region of around £10m, with this the campaign which has truly helped propel him among the continent's best players.

He has kept his best moments for the FA Cup in large, scoring decisive goals against both Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers, before giving the Reds a lead which they would relinquish in dramatic style against Aston Villa in the semi-final. He has also produced a number of man-of-the-match displays in the top flight this year, too, bagging a combined eight goals and assists to take the next step on his path to real stardom.

What they said: [Coutinho] suffered in the opening months because we did not have that penetration in the team. He is right up there and there is no doubt about that, but he still has improvements to make." - Brendan Rodgers on Coutinho's continuing development.

Standout moment: With one touch to get the ball out of his feet, Coutinho worked a yard of space around 25 yards from goal and curled an exquisite shot beyond the reach of Joe Hart and into the top of the net. This goal against Manchester City earlier this year may just have been the best in his growing list of personal goal-of-the-season contenders.

Key stat: Coutinho has completed more through balls (10) in the Premier League this year than any other player.

5. Alexis Sanchez

Club: Arsenal
Position: Attacking midfielder
Appearances: 29
Goals: 14
Assists: 8

Overview: If there is one thing that we have learned over the years in the Premier League, it is that some foreign imports can take longer than others to settle into their new surroundings. Some superstar players fail to settle at all, in fact, yet Sanchez has taken to the hearts of each and every Arsenal supporter with his incredible appetite for the game and the world-class ability to match.

Fourteen goals and eight assists in a debut campaign at a club is not bad going at all, even if the Chilean was expected to hit the ground running following his high-profile switch from Barcelona. Sanchez has turned on the style in other competitions, too, bagging crucial goals in the Champions League, League Cup and FA Cup to help the Gunners on their way to a potential - albeit improbable - double this season.

What they said: ""He should run [Hazard] very close. He has had a big impact and let's remember, it is not the first season [in England] for Eden Hazard. For Alexis Sanchez it is his first season. If Alexis doesn't make it this year, he will give him a fight for next season. He is my choice for Player of the Year, but only because he is my player." - Arsene Wenger on Sanchez's chances of beating rival Hazard to the PFA accolade.

Standout moment: It may not be a Premier League moment, but the midfielder's double against Reading last week went a long way to showing that he is also a player for the big occasions. Okay, the Championship outfit may not be world beaters, but it is conceivable that Arsenal would have headed for a shock defeat if not for their talisman's Wembley heroics.

Key stat: Sanchez is the only Gunners player to score in all four competitions this season.

6. Harry Kane

Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Position: Striker
Appearances: 30
Goals: 20
Assists: 4

Overview: From squad player to England international in the space of four months - welcome to the world of Harry Kane. It is easy to forget that it was not until the end of November that the youngster was given his first league start of the season, in which time he has gone on to match the achievements of previous Spurs greats Bale, Jurgen Klinsmann and Teddy Sheringham in scoring 20 goals in a single Premier League campaign.

His latest strike, a well-timed shot across Tim Krul to guide his side to a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United, also helped him on his way to becoming the first Tottenham player to hit 30 in a season in all competitions since Gary Lineker back in 1991-92. Many suggest that Kane will struggle to match the heights reached this campaign next time around, but should his goalscoring debut for the Three Lions be anything to go by, then it is fair to say that the Spurs man will thrive under the spotlight.

What they said: "I am not concerned about [burnout] at all. I think Harry, and the other players who are picked for the Under-21s, are going to be raring to go in the Czech Republic and I do not think burnout will ever feature in their minds." - Roy Hodgson on Kane's potential Young Lions call-up this summer.

Standout moment: Scoring his first hat-trick for the club against Asteras Tripolis would have been special, as too would the braces bagged against Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion and in particular Arsenal in the space of a month. But his recent treble against Leicester City, just days after being called up to the senior England squad, capped what has been a season to remember for the league's second-highest scorer.

Key stat: Kane has scored 15 league goals in 2015 alone; more than 10 clubs have managed in total.