Republic of Ireland underage starlet Joe Hodge has been named Manchester City's Scholar of the Year as his progress at the Premier League giants continues to move impressively.
Hodge - who doesn't turn 18 until September - is a wiry, technically excellent midfielder in the mould of another City academy graduate Phil Foden.
He's played for England at Under-16 and Under-17 level but has committed to Ireland, the country of his grandmother's birth, in the last two years, shining for both the Under-17s and Under-19s.
In May 2019, Stephen Kenny waxed lyrical about Hodge's capabilities after watching him impress during Ireland's 1-1 draw with Belgium at the Under-17 Euros.
"He's a classic midfield player" - Ireland U21 manager Stephen Kenny is a big fan of the silky Joe Hodge pic.twitter.com/4npmGbtaLZ
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) May 9, 2019
"He's a classic, natural midfield player," Kenny said on the RTÉ Sport panel.
"He understands the game for one so young, he has a great appreciation for space. He takes great angles to receive the ball, and has great feet, good vision and a range of passing. He's got a lot."
Hodge suffered a major setback last August when he broke his leg and his ankle but he made a full recovery and came back to help City's Under-18s retain the Premier League Cup.
"I'm very happy to win the award," Hodge told the club website.
"It’s a good achievement to win Scholar of the Year, especially considering I didn’t play many games. It is nice to know that what I did last season, I did well, even though I couldn’t play with the team.
"I thought my season was done, but I ended up playing 14 games, which isn't bad considering I broke my leg.
"I played in the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the Premier League Cup and got one game in the FA Youth Cup, so I did a lot better than I thought I would.
"I’ve loved it, it’s been a really good first year [as a scholar]."
