DIOGO DALOT was a surprise name in the voting for the Footballer of the Year.
The Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year vote went to Phil Foden after a stellar 12 months with Manchester City.
Foden, 23, beat the likes of Arsenal’s Declan Rice and team-mate Rodri to the number one spot.
He is the first Englishman to have won the award since Jordan Henderson in 2022.
The final three in the top six were Martin Odegaard, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer.
The rest of the list included some expected names such as Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
READ MORE ON MAN UNITED
However, there were some more surprising inclusions in the top 18 players.
One of which was Manchester United’s Dalot who came 16th in the voting.
The club has struggled this season to reach the expected heights but the defender appears to have impressed.
He was not the only Man United player to get votes as Bruno Fernandes finished five spots ahead of him.
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Luton Town also had a representative on the voting list.
Ross Barkley’s stunning season has not gone under the radar of the football writers.
Who recieved votes?
Here is a list of the 18 players that recieved votes for the Footballer of the Year award:
- Phil Foden – Manchester City
- Declan Rice – Arsenal
- Rodri – Manchester City
- Martin Odegaard – Arsenal
- Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa
- Cole Palmer – Chelsea
- Virgil Van Dijk – Liverpool
- Mo Salah – Liverpool
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
- Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle
- Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United
- Bernardo Silva – Manchester City
- John McGinn – Aston Villa
- Ross Barkley – Luton Town
- Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool
- Diogo Dalot – Manchester United
- Son Heung Min – Tottenham Hotspur
- Jarrod Bowen – West Ham
The former Everton star finished 14th on the voting list despite the chances that he could be relegated this season.
The last time a player won the award while playing for a relegated team was Scott Parker.
The midfielder starred for West Ham but could not keep them in the Premier League during the 2010/11 season.
Tactics Exposed: Why Kai Havertz is Arsenal’s most important player
By Dean Scoggins
KAI HAVERTZ endured a difficult start to life at the Emirates after his big-money move from Chelsea.
But has now well and truly found his feet.
The German, 24, has found his scoring boots in recent weeks, including his double against his old club.
But Havertz has been providing much more than goals in recent months.
In fact he has become Mikel Arteta’s most important player as Arsenal go for the title.
That’s after the Spanish boss made a genius tactical switch.
Read more on how Mikel Arteta is using Kai Havertz.
Or to watch the brilliant video in full on YouTube.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
