Kieran Dowell named Premier League 2 Player of the Month.

Under-23s Midfielder Wins Award

Dowell named Premier League 2 Player of the Month.

Kieran Dowell has capped off a season to remember by being named the Premier League 2 Player of the Month.

The Everton Under-23s midfielder has taken the honour for April, a month which saw him help steer the young Blues to the inaugural Premier League 2 title.

The 19-year-old also netted a spectacular goal in a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison on 10 April, cutting in from the right and finishing with a left-foot curler from 25 yards into the top corner.

The Academy graduate is currently with the England Under-20s squad – along with clubmates Ademola Lookman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Connolly and Jonjoe Kenny – ahead of the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea.

Blues Under-23s boss David Unsworth paid tribute to Dowell for his impact in the title-winning campaign, and had no doubt there is more to come from the midfielder.

“The award caps off a great season for him,” he said. “Kieran’s had a brilliant second half of the season, his form has been outstanding, he’s scored and created goals for fun.

“I expect great performances and I expect great goals because we know the quality he has. You saw it last season when he was chipping goalkeepers from 50 yards. He can score spectacular goals and so I wasn’t surprised by the one he scored against Tottenham last month.

“He is a lot fitter and a lot stronger than he was 12 months ago. He is still growing and we still have to wait for him from a maturation point of view as well, but he’ll use pre-season to get some really good quality physical work in again.

“He’ll have a great pre-season with us, then we’ll see where he is.”

In a week which saw Dowell get his hands on the Premier League 2 trophy after the season’s finale at Goodison on Monday, he now has another honour, having won the Player of the Month for April ahead of Aston Villa’s Rory Hale, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Donovan Wilson of Wolves, and Southampton’s Josh Sims.

The award is chosen by a poll of Premier League 2 managers and was won in February by another Blues Under-23s midfielder, Liam Walsh.