Leeds United's Lewis Cook has been named The Football League Young Player of the Year at The Football League Awards 2016.

On winning the award, Cook said: “I’m immensely proud of myself and I want to thank the club and my family for everything they’ve done.





“It’s a bit of a surprise as there’s a lot of good young talent in The Football League, so I’m extremely happy.”

Over the moon to be named @football_league Young player of the Year. Want to thank everyone for all the kind messages, really appreciate it😊 — Lewis Cook (@lewiscook_) April 17, 2016

Presented to the best player in The Football League under the age of 21, or in the season in which he turns 21, the Young Player of the Year award celebrates the emergence of young playing talent at The League’s 72 clubs.Each season, Football League clubs invest more than £60m on identifying, training and educating the next generation of football talent. Cook follows a list of previous recipients who have gone on to be stars of the game – as well as last year’s winner Alli, the likes of Gareth Bale and Wilfried Zaha are former recipients of the award.Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of The Football League, said: "During another action-packed Football League season it is important to acknowledge outstanding performances, both on and off the pitch.“We’re delighted to recognise this special group of nominees who have shown exceptional levels of talent, dedication and achievement. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated and particularly our winners, all of whom are deserving of their accolade.”All the news, reaction and photos from the awards can be found via The Football League’s Twitter page, @football_league , while the awards ceremony was also broadcast live on The Football League’s YouTube channel.To find out more about The Football League Awards, and for a full list of award winners, visit www.FLAwards.com or search #FLAwards on Twitter.