Vale is one of eight young players to have been nominated for the first monthly player award of 2021/22. He is joined on the shortlist by Aaron Ramsey (Aston Villa), Omari Giraud-Hutchinson (Arsenal), Evan Ferguson (Brighton), James McAtee (Man City), Dylan Stephenson (Newcastle), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich) and Dilan Markanday (Tottenham).
Nominated players were chosen by the Premier League Football Development panel after PL2 club coaches picked the best performances by opposing players in each league fixture in August. For the first time, performances in the League Cup have also been taken into account. The panel will also decide the winner, which will be announced in due course.
In other Academy news, goalkeeper Sami Tlemcani has recently signed his first professional contract at the club. The France Under-16 international joined last October from Paris FC and made four appearances for Ed Brand’s youth team last term.