Nico O’Reilly has been named the Premier League Young Player of the Season for 2025/26. The 21-year-old Manchester City academy graduate beat teammate Rayan Cherki and Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo to the award.
O’Reilly played 34 of City’s 37 Premier League matches this season, scoring five goals and providing three assists. He also recorded a total of nine goals and six assists in 53 appearances across all competitions.
The versatile defender has been part of a City defence that kept 14 clean sheets when he was on the pitch. His most memorable contribution came in the Carabao Cup final, where he scored twice against Arsenal to secure City’s first trophy in two seasons.
Originally a midfielder, O’Reilly has thrived since being converted into a left-back under Pep Guardiola. His positional switch helped solve a long-standing problem for the club, allowing Josko Gvardiol to move to his preferred centre-half position.
An award double in a single week
The Premier League honour comes less than 24 hours after O’Reilly was voted Manchester City’s Etihad Player of the Season. He is City’s youngest ever winner of the fan vote, two months younger than Michael Brown, who won the award in 1998.
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O’Reilly is the fourth City player under the age of 25 to win the club award in a row, following Erling Haaland (2023), Phil Foden (2024) and Josko Gvardiol (2025).
England recognition caps breakthrough season
Earlier this week, O’Reilly was named in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Mancunian made his senior England debut last November and has quickly established himself as a contender for a starting role at left-back.
O’Reilly signed a contract extension through to 2030 earlier this season, securing his long-term future at his boyhood club.
O’Reilly becomes the seventh recipient of the Premier League Young Player of the Season award, which was introduced in 2019. He is the third City player to win it after Foden (2020/21 and 2021/22) and Haaland (2022/23). He also recently won the Premier League Academy Graduate of the Year award, following in the footsteps of former City graduates Liam Delap and Cole Palmer.
O’Reilly saw off competition from eight other nominees: City teammate Rayan Cherki, Bournemouth pair Junior Kroupi and Alex Scott, Brentford’s Michael Kayode, Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall and West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
