Manchester City and Liverpool dominate the Professional Footballers’ Association team of the year but there is a surprise inclusion for Paul Pogba.

The France midfielder is included in the final XI despite Manchester United’s disappointing season. They lost 2-0 at home to City on Wednesday to remain in sixth place.

Raheem Sterling is among six City representatives, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are two of four inclusions from Liverpool.

Mohamed Salah is not among them, while the Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard is also omitted, despite being on the six-man shortlist for the players’ player of the year award.

City’s enviable attacking options have been at the heart of their title defence and Sergio Agüero has once again led the line with aplomb. The striker, the joint top-scorer in the league alongside Salah and the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on 19 goals, is the only player to retain his position in the PFA side from 12 months ago.

Agüero edged out Harry Kane, who is absent from the list for the first time in five seasons.

Sterling makes his first appearance in the PFA XI to supplement Agüero in attack, having scored 17 times and provided 10 assists. Liverpool’s Sadio Mané – with 18 goals so far – completes the forward line.

The front three are all in contention for the players’ player award as is Bernardo Silva, who has earned rave reviews for his performances in City’s midfield. His clubmate Fernandinho also lines up in midfield, as does Pogba, despite featuring for United during their dip in form under Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Aymeric Laporte, who signed for City in January 2018 for a then club record fee of £57m, breaks up the Liverpool hegemony in the back four. Virgil van Dijk, who joined Liverpool in a record £75m transfer in the same month Laporte completed his move to City, has been a reassuring and instrumental presence.

Van Dijk will be a strong contender to win the players’ player award and he partners Laporte at centre-back, with Alexander-Arnold and Robertson occupying the full-back berths.

The Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has conceded two fewer goals and kept two more clean sheets than his Brazil teammate Ederson but it is the City player who takes the No 1 jersey with the PFA, which will stage its annual awards ceremony in London on Sunday.

Team in full (4-3-3)

Ederson (Manchester City); Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Andy Robertson (Liverpool); Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City); Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Sergio Agüero (Manchester City), Sadio Mané (Liverpool).