Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been chosen as the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year.
The Blues’ Belgium winger Eden Hazard was second, with Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli third.
It follows Kante, 26, being voted the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year for 2016-17.
The France international helped Leicester City win the Premier League title last season and is close to doing the same with Chelsea.
The Blues, who have four top-flight matches left, lead the table with a four-point advantage over second-placed Spurs, who have played a game more.
Kante made his senior debut at Boulogne and then spent two seasons at Caen, the latter in Ligue 1.
In 2015, he joined Leicester City for a fee of £5.6 million and became an integral member of the club’s first ever Premier League win in his only season at the club.
The following year, he joined Chelsea for a reported fee of £32 million and won the prestigious PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year awards in his first season with the club.
Kanté made his senior international debut for France in 2016.
He was included in their squad that finished runners-up at that year’s European Championship.
He is cited as being one of the world’s best in his position and commonly regarded as the ‘new’ Claude Makélélé.
