Rachel Daly wins PFA Players’ Player of the Year after stunning season with Aston Villa and England, beating the likes of Sam Kerr and Ona Batlle to the award
- Daly scored 22 goals in 22 games for Aston Villa and reached the World Cup final
- Lauren James, meanwhile, was named the Young Player of the Year on Tuesday
- Would Mohamed Salah ‘do the dirty’ on Liverpool by leaving? And what about Man United ‘diving’?: Listen to It’s All Kicking Off, Mail Sport’s new podcast
England and Aston Villa star Rachel Daly has been crowned the 2023 PFA Players’ Player of the Year, it has been confirmed.
Daly beat the likes of last year’s winner Sam Kerr to the award, as well as Ona Batlle, Frida Maanum, Gur Reiten and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw.
The Villa forward picked up the WSL Golden Boot last season in a stunning campaign which saw her find the net 22 times in as many games as her side finished fifth in the league table.
Daly scored a further six goals as Villa reached the Women’s FA Cup semi-final, and was named the WSL Player of the Season. The 31-year-old also picked up two Player of the Month awards.
She completed an impressive year by playing a vital role for England as they reached the World Cup final earlier this month and has been rewarded by being voted Player of the Year by her peers.
Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly has been named the 2023 PFA Players’ Player of the Year
Daly enjoyed a successful season with Aston Villa, scoring 22 goals before reaching the World Cup final with England
Your browser does not support iframes.
Chelsea’s Lauren James, meanwhile, has won the Young Player of the Year for the first time after another scintillating campaign.
James, 21, played a key role for the Blues as they once again won the Women’s Super League title under Emma Hayes before going on to star for England at the World Cup, where she scored three times.
She beat Missy Bo Kearns, Maya Le Tissier, Laura Blindkilde and Katie Robinson to the award, as well as England team-mate Lauren Hemp, who had won the accolade for the last two seasons.
James scored five times in 18 WSL games for her side, and also scored twice as her side reached the Champions League semi-finals. Her team also lifted the FA Cup.
As far as the Team of the Year went, Daly, Kerr, Shaw, Maanum, Reiten, Le Tissier and Batlle were all named in the XI.
Manchester United and England star Mary Earps was named the goalkeeper in the team, with Lionesses team-mate Alex Greenwood also joining in defence.
Arsenal’s Rafaelle Souza was also named, as well as Yui Hasegawa of Manchester City.
Chelsea’s Lauren James has been crowned the Young Player of the Year for the first time
Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps was named in the Team of the Year on Tuesday
The full Women’s Super League Team of the Year included two Chelsea players and three from Manchester United
IT’S ALL KICKING OFF!
It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.
It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify
Your browser does not support iframes.
Source: Read Full Article