Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly has declared his ambition to keep climbing after being named PFA Young Player of the Year, an honour that capped a breakout 2025-26 campaign in which the 21-year-old helped his club to a domestic cup double and played a role in England's third-place finish at the World Cup.
Speaking after collecting the award on Tuesday, O'Reilly made clear that he views the recognition as a stepping stone rather than a destination. "Hopefully bigger and better things. I want to go to the next step in my game, I want to go to the next level," he said. "That's all I'm trying to do, work every day to try and improve and get better. That's my goal, that's my aim."
The young Englishman went on to outline the specific areas he wants to develop in the coming season, emphasising his desire for both individual and collective success. "I want goals, I want assists, I want to keep playing for my country, and I want to win trophies," he added.
O'Reilly's rise through the ranks at City has been notable for its unconventional path. Having come through the academy as an attacking midfielder, he ended up making his mark in the first team last season primarily as a left-back, a positional switch that came about through circumstance as much as design. Reflecting on how quickly things moved for him, O'Reilly said: "It all just happened so quick. The chances came, a bit of luck and I took those chances. It was an amazing season, one I'm very proud of."
That breakthrough came under Pep Guardiola, who departed City after a decade in charge. O'Reilly credited the Spaniard's influence on his development, while also expressing optimism about working under his successor, Enzo Maresca. "Obviously Pep was at the club for 10 years. He did such a good job and he was an amazing manager. It was so good to learn stuff from him," O'Reilly said.
On the transition to the new regime, he struck a positive tone about Maresca's approach so far. "Enzo's come in and he's been very positive since he came in. The sessions have been very intense. He's very demanding, very passionate and he's a very, very good manager," O'Reilly explained.
The midfielder-turned-defender has already featured under the new manager, starting in City's season opener at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. That match saw Maresca's side fall behind before rallying to secure a dramatic 2-1 win, offering an early glimpse of the team's character under its new leadership.
Attention now turns to a busy stretch of fixtures for City. The club will travel to Selhurst Park on Friday night to take on Crystal Palace, before returning home the following weekend to host newly promoted Coventry City. Beyond that, supporters are already looking ahead to a mouth-watering derby clash, with the first Manchester meeting of the season scheduled for Old Trafford on 13 September.
For O'Reilly, the individual accolade serves as validation of a remarkable first full season in senior football, but his comments suggest he is already focused on building on that foundation. With City navigating a period of transition under Maresca, the versatile young talent appears determined to remain a key figure as the club looks to defend its domestic cup successes and challenge on multiple fronts once again.
Based on reporting from Independent Football.