Bundesliga: Davies is rookie of the year

Canadian international Alphonso Davies’ remarkable season continued Friday when he was voted Bundesliga rookie of the year.

The 19-year-old Bayern Munich fullback beat out Jonjoe Kenny (Schalke), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach), Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) and Ismail Jakobs (Cologne).

Voting was split between fans (40 per cent), clubs (30 per cent) and media (30 per cent).

All the nominees had won rookie of the month honours this season, with Davies claiming the award in May.

Davies has turned heads around the globe this season for his performances in Bundesliga and Champions League play. He set a Bundesliga speed record last time out in a 1-0 win at Werder Bremen that earned the Bavarian powerhouse an eighth straight league title.

Injuries to Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez moved Australian international David Alaba to central defence early in the season, opening the left fullback spot for the Canadian. Davies has since become a fixture there under coach Hansi Flick.

A converted winger, Davies has been an offensive threat while using his speed on defence to track down opponents.

“I’ve always been confident Davies can fulfil the role of left back,” Flick said during the German league’s winter break.