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Leicester City's Jamie Vardy vote player of the year by writers
Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has been chosen as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.
The England forward got 36% of the vote from 290 journalists, ahead of team-mates Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante.
Vardy, 29, has scored 22 Premier League goals this season, including netting in a league record 11 games in a row.
The Foxes need two more points to guarantee their first top-flight title and will win it on Monday if Tottenham fail to beat Chelsea.
Leicester forward Mahrez won the the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award last month.
Manchester United can still overhaul City to secure Champions League football, insists Juan Mata
Juan Mata believes that Manchester United can still catch rivals Manchester City in the race for the final Champions League place this season, insisting they will “keep trying until the end”.
United’s top-four prospects suffered a blow on Sunday, as they could only salvage a 1-1 draw against leaders Leicester City at Old Trafford, opening the door for City to capitalise in their game with Southampton later that afternoon. However they threw away the chance at St Mary’s, as a much-changed side eventually lost 4-2.
Manuel Pellegrini attempted to juggle his squad ahead of the Citizens’ second leg semi-final clash at Real Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night, but it backfired in a major way, as the Red Devils are now right behind them with a game in hand.
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Mata certainly has the belief that United can overturn their neighbours as we enter the closing weeks of the campaign, claiming that City’s defeat on the south coast has given them a chance.
“Getting just one point at home is not enough for us,” the 28-year-old wrote on his blog on Kicca. “Even if you are playing against the team that leads the table and is most likely to become the Premier League champion very soon.
“On the pitch we thought that we were close to a victory, but I also want to give credit to Leicester City; in fact, if they have 77 points so far is because they have been a very consistent and competitive side. They are very reliable in defence and can create chances out of nowhere.
“We are visiting Norwich on Saturday for our next game. There’s a lot at stake for them and it’s going to be like a final. We know the game will be tough but we also know that we need those three points if we want to reach the fourth spot. We must take the lead during the game and also in the score.
“There’s a full week of work ahead, we have enough time to get ready. After City’s defeat we still have chances to be in the next Champions League and we will keep trying until the end.”
An ever-present for Louis van Gaal this season, the Spaniard has scored five goals and created 48 chances in 35 Premier League appearances, winning 40% of his average duels and with an average pass accuracy of 89%.
As for United, they sit fifth on 60 points following the draw with Leicester at the weekend, one ahead of West Ham United in sixth and four adrift of City in fourth with just three games remaining.
Next up for them is that away clash at Norwich City this weekend, with the Canaries fighting for their top-flight survival down in the relegation zone. However, they do have a game in hand on Newcastle United, who climbed out of the bottom three with a win on Saturday.
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