Saka one of three Liam Brady protégés honoured at PFA awards

The former Republic of Ireland star was on hand to congratulate Bukayo Saka on his recognition as PFA Young Player of the Year 

WELL DONE SON: An old player of the year with the young player of the year. Liam Brady with Bukayo Saka at the PFA Player of the Year awards in Salford.

It was a gala night for Liam Brady's former charges at the PFA Player of the Year awards in Salford last night. 

Himself a winner of the main PFA Player of the Year award in 1979, the former Ireland international saw Bukayo Saka, one of Brady's protégés during his time as head of Arsenal youth development, pick up the Young Player of the Year gong.

Saka, 21, was recognised by his peers for a season where he scored 14 goals for Arsenal and starred for England at the World Cup. And Brady was present to congratulate the youngster, one of the graduates of the renowned Hale End academy established by Brady during his time at Arsenal. 

Saka wasn't alone among Brady's young Gunners to be honoured on the night.

To mark the 50th staging of the awards, the PFA handed out individual prizes for the Championship, League One and League Two for the first time.

Chuba Akpom was awarded the PFA Championship Players' Player of the Year. 

And another Arsenal graduate, Chuba Akpom, picked up the main award for the championship. Akpom was top scorer in the division last season, with 28 goals helping to drive Middlesbrough to the playoffs. The 27-year-old moved to Ajax in the summer for more than £12m.

Also nominated for that award was Nathan Tella who was integral in Burnley's charge to the Premier League, while on loan from Southampton. He was named in the Championship team of the season. 

Tella is another of Brady's one-time youngsters, spending 10 years at the Arsenal academy. This week he joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for a reported fee of £20m. 

Underlining the legacy Brady left behind at Arsenal, yet another graduate, Folarin Balogun, is about to complete a €40m move to Monaco.

What a brilliant picture of Evan with his Grandad and Liam Brady. All three of the lads played for the club.@eireguide @reptracker @IrishFballtweet @KennysKids @Coachdiary pic.twitter.com/3qVsgNzz8P

— St Kevin's Football Club (@stkevinsfc) August 29, 2023

Also nominated in the Young Player of the Year category last night was Brighton and Ireland starlet Evan Ferguson.

Like Brady, who also worked as Brighton manager, Ferguson is a graduate of Dublin club St Kevin's and Brady was pictured with the youngster and his grandad Fergus, who played alongside Brady at the famed Dublin nursery. 

Brady retired from his work in punditry with RTÉ this year. He has written an autobiography on his life in the game called Born to be a Footballer, which is set to be released next month.