Last year, Lewis Cook broke through into the Leeds United starting eleven, a player with heaving bags of potential and brimming with confidence. Such was his impact, he not only nailed down a place in the side but he won the 2015 Football League LFE Championship Apprentice of the Year.
This year, a year where he has gone from strength-to-strength, Cook has not only held doen his place in Leeds United’s midfield, but he has gone on to help England Under-19s qualify for this year’s European Championships. He has also picked up another accolade from the Football League awards – claiming the Football League Young Player of the Year award.
Cook, who was one of three shortlisted for the award, the other two being Fulham’s exciting French striker Moussa Dembélé and Walsall’s Rico Henry, received plaudits and praise on the Football League’s website which said of the Leeds United youngster: “Cook, who was the recipient of the Championship Apprentice of the Year at last year’s Football League Awards, has had another outstanding season for Leeds United. At just 19 years old, the talented Yorkshireman has continued to make impressive progress, enhancing his burgeoning reputation and winning plaudits across the division for his midfield displays.”
On winning the award, and what it means to him, Lewis Cook was obviously over-the-moon, as can be seen by his words on the Leeds United website. On there Cook simply showed his pride at receiving the accolade saying: “It feels great, I’m really proud of myself. It’s like the next step, I guess – I got the Apprentice award last year and now this one this year. It’s been a hard season but this makes it a good end. People who have won this award before have been outstanding and have gone on to have brilliant careers. I just need to keep on trying to improve and getting better.”
