SIX players and four head coaches have been shortlisted for the English Premier League Player and Manager of the Month awards for February.
Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokores, Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko and Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City lead in the nominations for the Player of the Month prize, while Manchester United’s Michael Carrick and Pep Guardiola of Manchester City are the leading nominees for the manager award.
Sweden striker Gyokeres added a further four goals to his Premier League tally in February, taking him to double figures in the league in his maiden Arsenal season.
On his part, Sesko played the role of super-sub perfectly in February. The Slovenian scored three goals in four games for Manchester United, each time after coming off the bench.
Sesko scored the winner in the third minute of stoppage time against Fulham and left it even later to rescue a point at West Ham United, with his deft finish coming in the sixth minute of time added on. He also netted the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over Everton.
Semenyo provided three goals in February – in a 2-2 draw with Spurs and subsequent victories over Fulham and Leeds United.
The winger also produced an assist for O’Reilly in the Fulham win. The Ghanaian has demonstrated his adaptability by playing in midfield and as a centre-forward for his new club.
The other nominees for Player of the Month are Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City, who scored three goals from midfield, Brentford’s Dango Ouattara (two goals and two assists) and Virgil van Dijk, who netted twice and helped Liverpool keep two clean sheets.
Joining Carrick and Guardiola in the manager award nominations are Brentford’s Keith Andrews and Liverpool’s Arne Slot.
Carrick is nominated for the second successive month, as the reigning Manager of the Month continued to lead Manchester United’s resurgence in February.
Carrick carried on where he left off in January by beginning February with successive home wins over Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United’s unbeaten run was extended further with a 1-1 draw at West Ham United before they returned to winning ways against Everton.
Manchester City enjoyed an unbeaten February under Guardiola, winning four and drawing one of their five league games.
City’s month began with disappointment as they ceded a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Spurs.
However, they recovered impressively to win four games on the spin, triumphing against Liverpool at Anfield before winning successive home games against Fulham and Newcastle and seeing the month out with another three points at Leeds United.
Fans’ votes will be combined with the choices from a panel of experts to determine the winners of the awards, who will be revealed next week.
