Foden, Shaw win PFA Player of the Year awards as Palmer named young player

Manchester City forward Phil Foden won the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award on Tuesday.

Foden played a key role in City winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title last term.

The 24-year-old scored 19 times and delivered eight assists for Pep Guardiola’s team as they pipped Arsenal to the title on the last day of the season.

“To win this award is something very special and it is one that I am very proud of and grateful for. To be recognised this way by your fellow professionals means everything and I would like to thank everyone who voted for me,” Foden said.

“I also want to pay special thanks to Pep, the City coaches and all my teammates as they help me to try and get better every single day.”

Foden has already set his sights on a fifth successive Premier League crown after City started their title defence with a 2-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday.

“Last season was another very special one for everyone at the Club but now all our focus is concentrated on trying to achieve more success this term,” he said.

Foden also won the 2023-24 Premier League player of the season award and was named the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year.

City director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Everyone here is so thrilled to see Phil win this award. To have your fellow professionals recognise you in such a way is very special.

“Phil embodies everything we stand for at Manchester City. He is a supremely talented player but is someone who always strives to seek to improve.

“He is a very humble guy who is hugely popular throughout the Club. We are all very proud of him.”

Foden’s City team-mates Erling Haaland, who won the award last year, and Rodri, as well as Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins were also on the Player of the Year shortlist. Chelsea forward Palmer was named the men’s PFA young player of the year.

Foden and Palmer’s awards made it the first time that both the senior and young player trophies went to English players since 2009-10, when Wayne Rooney and James Milner took home the silverware.

England international Palmer was second only to Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts with 22 goals in a breakthrough campaign after leaving Guardiola’s team to move to Stamford Bridge.

City enjoyed a clean-sweep of the main awards at the Manchester ceremony as Khadija Shaw was voted the women’s Player of the Year.

Jamaican forward Shaw was the top scorer in the Women’s Super League with 21 goals as City were edged out for the title on goal difference by Chelsea.

“I am both happy and proud to have received this award, to be recognised in such a way by my peers is a very special honour,” Shaw said.

Meanwhile, Manchester City and Ilkay Gundogan look set to be reunited.

The former Germany midfielder was pictured at the airport on Wednesday and was reportedly catching a flight from Barcelona to Manchester to wrap up his return to City on a one-year deal, with the option of another 12 months.

Neither City nor Barcelona have commented publicly on any deal for the 33-year-old Gundogan.

Gundogan left City after the 2022-23 season, during which he was captain of the team that won the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble. He spent seven years at the English club but decided to move to Barcelona for a new challenge, and was one of Xavi Hernández’s favourite players during his sole season with the Catalan club.

Agencies