Paul Pogba has been named the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League Player of the Season, ahead of Manchester United team-mates Zlatan Ibrahimović and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This is the first time UEFA has given an award for the best player in the competition, though an official Squad of the Season, in which Pogba, Mkhitaryan and Ibrahimović all featured, was revealed at the end of the last campaign.
A high-profile signing from Juventus in summer 2016, the attacking midfielder scored three goals in 15 UEFA Europa League games, including the opener in the 2-0 final success against Ajax which enabled United to complete a full set of major UEFA club trophies.
One of the stars of José Mourinho’s first season as manager at Old Trafford, the 24-year-old Pogba was a regular in the Premier League and also helped United to win the English League Cup.
Pogba’s 2016/17 in numbers
Honours: UEFA Europa League, English League Cup.
Appearances: 15
Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Domestic league
Appearances: 30
Goals: 5
Assists: 4
How Pogba was chosen
The jury was composed of the coaches of the 48 clubs in the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stage, together with 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing each of UEFA’s member associations. The coaches were not allowed to vote for players from their own teams.
Jury members selected their top three players, with the first receiving five points, the second three and the third one. The three players who received the most points were shortlisted for the award.
Source: uefa.com
