Paul Scholes has backed Eden Hazard to win the PFA Player of the Year award, but said his former England teammate John Terry should have been a contender for the top prize.
Terry looks set to lead Chelsea to the Premier League title this season, yet the 34-year-old did not make the six-man shortlist for the prestigious award, that will be handed out at a ceremony in London on Sunday.
Scholes said that Terry would rank third in his list of top players for this season, behind Hazard and Tottenham striker Harry Kane, as he questioned his absence from the names in the frame for the accolade.
"No player has been streets ahead of the rest when it comes to the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award, and when I scan down the list of six nominees I do wonder how John Terry found himself omitted," Scholes wrote in his Independent column.
"Terry has been the key figure in the team that will win the title this year; a key figure because Chelsea are essentially a defensive team.
"Their 34-year-old captain is their main man in that regard, he plays in every game and he is deserving of a place on the shortlist of the PFA Player of the Year award, although he would not be my choice to win it on Sunday night.
"Had I still a ballot paper in this particular election, my vote would go to Eden Hazard. He is a superb player, and one who does not go missing in big Premier League games."
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane suggested earlier this week that Hazard is now among the top three players in world football, yet Scholes believes he has some way to got match the long-established top two.
"Clearly, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still on a level of their own in world football," he added.
"That said, I think Hazard is comparable with the likes of Luis Suarez and Neymar.
"There is no shame in being part of that group of players. The two at the top have phenomenal goalscoring records and the teams they play for are in the last four of the Champions League.
"As for their domestic leagues, I am sure that Hazard faces a more difficult test against the mid- and low-ranking Premier League teams than the equivalent teams Madrid and Barca encounter in their league.
"One thing I do wonder with Hazard is whether he has that hunger to score goals that you see in Ronaldo, Messi and Suarez. Those are players who have a ferocious appetite to put the ball in the net. They're unstoppable.
"Hazard seems to me to be a relatively gentle soul. One who is just as happy skipping past a couple of opponents and putting it on a plate for a teammate."