Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers send messages after confirmed Nico O'Reilly news
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was among those to message Nico O'Reilly after he won the PFA Young Player of the Year award at Tuesday's ceremony.
The 21-year-old enjoyed a fantastic season for Manchester City, scoring five Premier League goals and playing a huge role in the race for the title.
The Citizens eventually came up short, but may not have even come close without the full-back's contributions in the final months of the season.
O'Reilly was also named in the Team of the Year alongside several Man City and Arsenal players, as well as PFA Player of the Year, Bruno Fernandes.
The Manchester United midfielder beat fellow favourite Rice to the award, after he broke the Premier League's assist record with 21 last season.
Other winners on the night included Man City's Bunny Shaw and Arsenal's Olivia Smith, winning Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year, respectively, for their performances in the WSL.
What Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers messaged Nico O'Reilly
While O'Reilly won the award for his displays in the Premier League, he enjoyed an all-around fantastic season.
The full-back scored nine goals and provided six assists in 55 games across all competitions, including a brace against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final.
For weeks, the England international was the bane of the Gunners' existence, scoring against Chelsea to keep the title race alive and performing superbly in the key clash at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal got over the line, but O'Reilly promises to be a key man for Man City in years to come and may well take up a position as an advanced midfielder more commonly after Enzo Maresca deployed him there against Bournemouth.
He took to Instagram to celebrate Tuesday's award, with several big names spotted in the comments. Rice wrote that the award was "deserved", while the winner of the award last year, Morgan Rogers, left handshake and heart emojis.
What Pep Guardiola said about O'Reilly
O'Reilly has been with Man City throughout his youth and senior career, making his senior debut in 2024.
The 21-year-old is extremely tall but extraordinarily nimble, and represents a unique and exciting talent.
His potential is seemingly limitless in the coming years, and it is now down to Maresca to nurture him in the right way.
"He [O’Reilly] started to play when Rodri was injured and impressed a lot,” said Pep Guardiola in March. "Against Newcastle he played holding midfielder alongside Nico [Gonzalez], he can play in the pocket, it’s his natural position and every cross he is there.
"In the aerial action offensively he is really strong. Defensively he has to improve. So far, he has been a surprise even for me. His season so far has been extraordinary.”