Phil Foden names Man City trophy ambitions after beating Arsenal man to FWA award

Phil Foden has been named the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in recognition of his stellar campaign for Manchester City.

Foden has stepped up this term during absences to key City men like Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, shining in a more central position and scoring 24 goals with ten assists. He has produced big performances to turn tight games into comfortable wins for City and has earned praise from Pep Guardiola for his tactical progress as a number ten.

His FWA gong begins what is likely to be a productive time on the awards front for Foden, with the 23-year-old favourite for the PFA Player of the Year, and he is among the favourites for the Premier League Player of the Year.

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Foden received 42 per cent of the votes from over 900 sports writers, with Arsenal's Declan Rice coming in second. City teammate Rodri was third, but there was no place for De Bruyne or Haaland in the top six - Martin Odegaard, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer took these spots, with 12 other players receiving votes.

Foden follows Haaland (2023) and Ruben Dias (2021) in winning the award in recent seasons.

“Being named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year is a huge honour. I’m very, very happy to receive this award but I could not have done it without the help of my teammates,” he said.

“We have a very special squad of players at City, and I’m privileged to be a part of that group. I want to thank all my teammates as well as Pep and the coaches for all the support and advice they have given me.

“I strive to be the