Arsenal star Bukayo Saka wins PFA Young Player of the Year award
|Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2022-23 last night, pipping Erling Braut Haaland, Moises Caicedo, Evan Ferguson, Jacob Ramsey and team-mate Gabriel Martinelli to the prize.
The England international was a key player for the Gunners during their title challenge last term, ending the campaign with 14 goals and 11 assists in 38 Premier League appearances.
Saka started 37 of those games and was also nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, but Manchester City hitman Haaland won the prize.
Players had to be aged 21 or under at the beginning of the season (July 1st 2022) to be nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, and while many had thought that Haaland was going to win, it was the Arsenal academy graduate who took it home.
As a result, Saka became the first Gunners player in 12 years to win the award since Jack Wilshere in 2011.
He was also nominated for the past four seasons prior to finally picking it up, and the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Jude Bellingham have taken to Instagram to react and send their congratulations to the youngster.
Saka also made the PFA Premier League Team of the Year alongside his teammates Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard.
He has already hit the ground running in the new campaign, with two goals to his name in three league appearances so far.
Saka started his Arsenal career as a left-back but has since established himself as one of the best forwards in the world, with 40 goals and 41 assists to his name in 183 games for the North London club.
He was rewarded for his hard work on and off the pitch in May, putting pen to paper on a new four-year contract with Arsenal and will be looking to lead them to their first title since 2004 this term.