Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola joins bosses of the Premier League’s top four in being nominated for Manager of the Year Award.

The Spaniard is on his way to leading the Cherries to a top-half finish in an impressive debut campaign at the club.

The standout result in their thrilling season came in December when they humbled Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.

Remarkably, three of the other four managers nominated for the award are Spanish, as Premier League title rivals Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta get set to battle for another honour this term.

Unai Emery has been recognised for transforming the fortunes of Aston Villa and taking them to the cusp of Champions League qualification, while outgoing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rounds out the five-man shortlist.

Iraola endured a tough start to life in the Premier League following his controversial arrival from Raya Vallecano and failed to win any of his first nine games.

However, a stunning run of seven wins in nine before the turn of the year lifted the club from 19th to 13th and the recent win over Brighton gives Bournemouth an outside chance of a top-eight finish with two games of the campaign left to play.

Fans have the chance to help select the winner by casting their vote on the league’s website. Voting closes at Midday on May 13.

The votes from the public will be combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner, who will be revealed on Saturday 18 May.

Guardiola and Klopp have shared the last six awards, with the Manchester City boss claiming four wins to the German’s two. Arteta is a real contender to end that dominance after guiding the Gunners to the top of the table as they seeks to finally topple his old boss.

Meanwhile, Emery has taken Villa from relegation threatened to Premier League top four in 18 months. The former Arsenal boss has his side seven points clear of fifth place Tottenham.

Their first Champions League campaign in more than 40 years could be confirmed this weekend.