O'Reilly hailed as 'shining example' after PFA award win

[Getty Images] Manchester City full-back Nico O'Reilly has been hailed as a "shining example" after collecting the PFA Men's Young Player of the Year award on Tuesday. The 21-year-old made a match-winning contribution by scoring two goals in last season's Carabao Cup final and also won the FA Cup, as well as helping England to third place at the World Cup. O'Reilly's accolade at Manchester's Opera House means five of the past six winners of the award have come through City's academy, following in the footsteps of Phil Foden (twice), Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. "Seeing Nico win the award was an incredibly proud moment for everyone connected to our academy," said City's academy director Thomas Krucken. "His success is testament to the hard work of the academy staff and coaches who guided him on his journey from our Under-9s all the way towards senior football. "Nico is an inspiration to everyone at the academy. He is a shining example of how to approach the world of football and be successful. We are all really proud of him and want to send our best wishes to him and his family. "Having five of the past six winners of the PFA Young Player of the Year award from our academy is an extraordinary achievement for us." O'Reilly beat team-mate Rayan Cherki, Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo, Bournemouth's Junior Kroupi, Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal's Max Dowman to the award.