Awards

Shortlist revealed for PL2 April Player of the Month

2 May 2024

Find out more about the eight academy stars who have been nominated for their displays last month

Eight young players have been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for April.

The nominees have been selected by the Premier League Football Development Panel. The panel will also decide the winner, who will be announced next week.

PL2 April Player of the Month nominees

Player	Club	Age	Pos.	G	A	CS
Adrian Akande	Reading	20	MID	0	3	2
Aaron Bott	Nott'm Forest	19	GKP	0	0	4
Amario Cozier-Duberry	Arsenal	18	MID	4	1	1
Alfie Harrison	Newcastle	18	MID	0	3	0
Rio Kyerematen	Spurs	18	MID	1	3	1
Will Lankshear	Spurs	19	FWD	5	0	0
Dujuan Richards	Chelsea	18	FWD	3	2	0
Jack Thompson	Nott'm Forest	18	DEF	0	1	4

Why the players are nominated

Adrian Akande: Reading went unbeaten during April as they won two and drew two of their four matches. Akande supplied assists in three of their first four matches, creating goals in a 2-2 draw with Spurs, a 3-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion and a 3-0 victory against Manchester City.

Aaron Bott: Not only did Nottingham Forest go unbeaten in April, having won two and drawn three of their five matches, they kept an impressive four clean sheets during that run. Goalkeeper Bott only conceded once, and produced 13 saves across the month.

Amario Cozier-Duberry: The 18-year-old played a starring role for Arsenal in April. He began the month with a goal and an assist in a 2-2 draw at Stoke City before scoring again in another draw against Blackburn Rovers. Cozier-Duberry then ended April with a fine performance against Liverpool, scoring twice in a 2-0 win as the Gunners accumulated five points from their four PL2 fixtures in the month.

Alfie Harrison: While Newcastle United endured an indifferent month, winning two and losing three of their five matches, Harrison played a key role in both of their wins. He provided two assists in a 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion and another in a 2-1 win against Stoke City.

Rio Kyerematen: The Spurs midfielder also enjoyed a successful month. He provided three assists, two of which were for team-mate Will Lankshear, while also scoring once himself.

Will Lankshear: January's PL2 Player of the Month was once again heavily involved in Tottenham Hotspur's quest to win this season's title. He scored in four of Spurs' five matches in April, netting five goals in total, including a brace in a 2-0 win against Fulham.

Dujuan Richards: Chelsea enjoyed an unbeaten April as they secured two wins and one draw in their three matches. During those encounters, Richards scored a brace and provided an assist in a 4-0 win away to Aston Villa, set up another goal in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace and finished the month by finding the back of the net in a 2-0 home success against Southampton.

Jack Thompson: The 18-year-old defender started all five matches in Forest's unbeaten month, and he set up their second goal in a 4-0 win against Leeds United.