Manchester City’s Jahmai Simpson-Pusey named 2024/25 Premier League 2 Player of the Season | OneFootball

Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has been named the Premier League 2 Player of the Season for the 2024-25 campaign.

Simpson-Pusey, 19, is the latest of a plethora of defensive talents to have been moulded at the City Football Academy (CFA), which has produced a long list of first-team players for Pep Guardiola since his appointment as first-team manager in 2016.

Phil Foden, Rico Lewis, James McAtee, Oscar Bobb and Nico O’Reilly are five academy graduates currently in the first-team – which is testament to the work Manchester City’s bespoke academy have done over the years to produce top-tier talent for the senior side.

Simpson-Pusey has made eight first-team appearances for Manchester City this season and rose to the occasion amidst a serious personnel crisis in central defence in the first half of the campaign.

John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have also spent significant time on the sidelines at various points of the campaign – allowing Simpson-Pusey to get his first peak through the curtain into life under Pep Guardiola in the first-team.

The Manchester-born teenager has made two appearances each in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League whilst also featuring in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Guardiola has needed all the help he can get this season and City’s young guns haven’t disappointed.

“To receive this award in such a competitive league with lots of amazing talent is a huge honour for me,” said Simpson-Pusey, as quoted by Manchester City’s official website.

“I feel like this has been my best season representing City and I’m really glad it’s helped the team win the PL2 and reach the play-off final, which we are excited to be competing in.

“This squad is a great team to be a part of as we all push each other to be the best we can be every day, and I think we’ve seen that with the new records we’ve hit this season, even more so following a difficult season last year.

“But this also wouldn’t have been possible without those around me, so I’d also like to say thank you to Ben (Wilkinson), Craig (Mudd), all the coaching staff and my team-mates too.”

Following his win, Simpson-Pusey becomes the fourth Manchester City player to have been named the Premier League 2 Player of the Season, following in the footsteps of James McAtee, Liam Delap and Carlos Borges.

Manchester City’s U-21s have finished top of the Premier League 2 and Simpson-Pusey has played an instrumental role for the young Blues, who also saw Emilio Lawrence shortlisted for the Player of the Season award.

Other nominees included Khayon Edwards (Arsenal), Finlay Herrick (West Ham), Donnell McNeilly (Chelsea), Hindolo Mustapha (Crystal Palace), Lewis Orford (West Ham) and Callum Osmand (Fulham).