LIVERPOOL’S Adam Lallana has been voted as 2016’s Vauxhall England Player of the Year. Southampton’s Nathan Redmond has been named the U21 player of the year.
The midfielder won the poll with 39 per cent of the votes from England Supporters Club, beating Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (12 per cent) and England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney (8 per cent) to the prize.
“This award is a huge honour,” Lallana told TheFA.com. “The last three winners were Rooney (2015), Rooney (2014) and Steven Gerrard (2012) so that just goes to show what a great achievement this is.
“Things have been going well this season for my club so that always helps. When you’re playing well for your club then hopefully you can transmit your form into the national team and help out.
“That’s what has been happening but I don’t want that to be for just one season – I want to continue that for as long as possible.
“Off the back of a disappointing year for England as a whole, I’ll be looking to definitely improve in 2017 and hopefully we can build on how it has started under Gareth Southgate, as there have been plenty of positives.”
Lallana has grown in influence for club and country over the last 12 months having established himself as a regular for both Jurgen Klopp and Gareth Southgate.
The 28-year-old bagged three goals for the Three Lions in 2016, including a late winner in former manager Sam Allardyce’s only game in charge against Slovakia in September.
He’ll hope to maintain his recent good form when England resume their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against Lithuania at Wembley in March.
Redmond claimed 32 per cent of votes from England Supporters Club members after helping the Young Lions to victory in the Toulon tournament as well as the 2017 European Under-21 Championship finals.
He said: “It’s a great honour and achievement to pick it up. I was up against some other worthy winners, so I don’t think words can describe how good of an achievement it is,” Dailymail said.
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