Ghanaian youngster Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has expressed his excitement after winning Crystal Palace’s Under-23 Player of the Season award.
The 19-year-old propelled Palace to finish 5th in the Premier League 2 Division 1, their first campaign in the top-flight of Academy football.
He scored incredible 18 goals from 25 appearances throughout 2021/22, making him joint-top scorer with Manchester City’s James McAtee.
“It’s been a great season, not just for me but the whole team. I’m very thankful. It’s been great [training with the first-team],” Rak-Sakyi told the club’s official website.
“It’s been my best season so far. I’ve been working so hard this season and am grateful for everyone who’s helped me.”
He made his Premier League debut in August 2021 against Chelsea and was named Premier League 2 Player of the Month for February 2022. Throughout the campaign he trained with Patrick Vieira’s first-team squad.
He also had a strong season internationally, marking his England Under-20 debut by scoring against Romania.
He collected the Player of the Season award from Under-23s assistant manager Darren Powell at the club’s free-to-attend awards night.
Though Rak-Sakyi is also eligible to represent Ghana through his parents, he accepted a call-up to the England U20 team in September 2021 to replace an injured Anthony Gordon.
On September 6 2021, he made a goalscoring debut for the U20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George’s Park.
