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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
George Flood

Phil Foden named PFA Player of the Year as Chelsea star Cole Palmer wins Young Player prize

Phil Foden has won the men’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for 2023/24, while Chelsea star Cole Palmer has sealed the Young Player of the Year prize.

England playmaker Foden became the fourth Manchester City player in the last five years to seal the prestigious individual prize at the annual glitzy PFA Awards ceremony held at the Opera House in Manchester on Tuesday night.

He succeeds Erling Haaland, with fellow City superstar Kevin De Bruyne having also taken the honour in back-to-back years in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Foden beat Palmer to the main PFA award, as well as Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and City team-mates Haaland and Rodri, plus Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

The 24-year-old was an instrumental part of the City side that won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title last season and sixth in the last seven years, scoring 27 goals and laying on 12 assists in 53 total appearances across all competitions for Pep Guardiola.

Palmer got his consolation prize with the men’s PFA Young Player of the Year award, seeing off competition from Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka - last year’s winner - plus Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, former Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise and Brighton forward Joao Pedro.

Palmer enjoyed a tremendous debut season at Chelsea that followed a surprise £42.5million switch from Manchester City on transfer deadline day last summer, collecting a host of awards after registering 27 goals and 15 assists in 48 appearances.

Awards: Phil Foden and Cole Palmer pose with their PFA trophies at the Opera House in Manchester (Getty Images)

The women’s PFA Players’ Player of the Year award went to Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw, the Manchester City forward beating team-mates Lauren Hemp and Yui Hasegawa in addition to Chelsea trio Erin Cuthbert, Lauren James and Niamh Charles.

The women’s PFA Young Player of the Year honour was claimed by Grace Clinton, who shone on loan at Tottenham from Manchester United last season as they reached the FA Cup final at Wembley for the first time.

Also nominated for that prize were Lauren James and Chelsea team-mate Aggie Beever-Jones, as well as Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier plus City’s Jess Park and Khiara Keating.

Men’s PFA Championship Player of the Year is Crysencio Summerville, who swapped Leeds for West Ham in a £25m transfer earlier this month, with striker Alfie May having claimed League One honours after leaving Charlton for Birmingham this summer and Notts County winger Jodi Jones voted the best in League Two.

Summerville and new Chelsea signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were also named in the Championship Team of the Year, along with Archie Gray, who joined Tottenham from Leeds this summer.

There were PFA merit awards handed to both MK Dons stalwart Dean Lewington and former Lionesses star Fara Williams.

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