Chelsea defender Reece James and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka have been named on the six-man shortlist to win the Professional Footballers’ Association's Young Player of the Year award.
The PFA have named a shortlist to win the award which is seperate to the fan-chosen ones awarded by the Premier League, with Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden winning that award for a second year in a row.
Foden joins England colleagues James and Saka on the six-man shortlist that is made up entirely of English players. Of the six on the shortlist, four are currently with Gareth Southgate’s squad for this month’s UEFA Nations League ties with Hungary (twice), Germany and Italy.
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, who spent he 2021/22 term with Crystal Palace on loan, has been shortlisted. The other two players on the six-man list are Arsenal playmaker Emile Smith Rowe and Aston Villa prospect Jacob Ramsey.
Blues defender James missed a chunk of the season with a hamstring injury, but was one of the club’s players of the season when he did feature, helping them to a third placed finish.
Saka finished the campaign as Arsenal’s top scorer in the Premier League with 11 goals and also claimed the crown for most assists in a campaign where Mikel Arteta’s side earned a return to European football via the Europa League.
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Saka’s teammate Smith Rowe also had a big hand in the success that the Gunners did have this season, scoring ten goals and adding two assists in his 33 league outings, despite starting only 21 of those games.
Gallagher impressed out on loan at Palace in his second Premier League loan exit. Gallagher, who made his England debut earlier this season, scored eight times in all competitions for the Eagles to help them reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Foden meanwhile had the best team season of the lot, becoming a Premier League winner for the fourth time in his career at the age of 2022, having also been named as the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year. He also reached the semi-finals of both the Champions League and FA Cup with City.
Completing the list is Ramsey who was a regular for a Villa side managed by both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard this term, scoring six goals and adding one assist in 34 Premier League games this season.
The awards ceremony takes place on Thursday, June 9 at 7pm. Last year, Foden became the third City player in four seasons to win the accolade. He would be the first player to win it twice since Dele Alli (2015/16 and 2016/17), should win the award this time around.
