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The coaches at the PSV Youth Academy have been doing a great job this season. Earlier this week Ibrahim Afellay was named the Netherlands’ Young Player of the Year, while youngsters Dirk Marcellis and Rens van Eijden were handed UEFA Champions League debuts. After Género Zeefuik had made some Eredivisie appearances, PSV now also take pride in two of their youth players being named ‘player of the year’ in their league.
Patrick van Aanholt, a 16-year-old centre-back and Holland U-17 international, emphatically finished first in the U-17 rankings with 40 points. Each team awards 1, 2 and 3 points, respectively, to three opponents after each game and at the end of the season the winner is named. Van Aanholt is a strong defender, who is dangerous when he joins the attack. He is strong in the air and has scored six goals this season.
19-year-old Rochdi Achenteh ended first in the U-20 rankings, together with Excelsior Rotterdam’s Ilias Haddad and FC Volendam’s Maikel van der Werff. Rochdi is an attacking midfield player, who knows how to win balls and cover space as well. The technically skilful midfielder joined PSV in 1997 and played together with Ismail Aissati in the same team for some seasons.
