Fulham’s teenage star Ryan Sessegnon earned recognition for his fantastic year by winning two trophies during last night’s London Football Awards.
The 17-year-old won both the Football League player of the year and young player of the year categories – and his double success overshadowed the main award winner, Tottenham striker Harry Kane, who picked up the night’s player of the year award. Sessegnon, who also won both of the Championship’s player of the month awards for January after scoring six league goals in that month, received his Football League player of the year award from former Fulham forward Bobby Zamora.
The Fulham winger beat Brentford pair Josh Clarke and Romaine Sawyers, Millwall’s George Saville and the QPR goalkeeper Alex Smithies to become the third successive Whites player to claim the player of the year award, following in the footsteps of Moussa Dembele in 2016 and his captain Tom Cairney last year. He then triumphed over top flight competitors to be voted London’s player of the year ahead of Tottenham duo Davinson Sanchez and Harry Winks, Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles and received his trophy from ex-England defender Sol Campbell.
Sessegnon, who has scored thirteen goals in 34 league appearances this season, modestly credited his team mates and head coach Slavisa Jokanovic for his success after picking up his first award:
I’m honoured to receive this award. I’d like to say thank you to everyone, thank you to the team. This season we’ve played some really good football.
Jokanovic was nominated for the capital’s manager of the year, but that award went to former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, who was commended for his achievements in lifting Crystal Palace out of the top flight’s relegation zone since taking over at Selhurst Park. The awards help raise money for the vital work carried out by the Willow Foundation, which is the country’s only charity devoted to arranging special days for seriously ill people between the ages of sixteen and forty.
