Who's been nominated for Player of the Month?

Wednesday 03 May 2023 07:00

Three Reds have made it on to the shortlist for Manchester United’s Player of the Month award for April 2023.

Congratulations to Bruno Fernandes, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw for being nominated – now you can vote for which Red you think deserves to claim the prize. But be quick – the poll closes on Saturday, when we’ll announce the winner.

It was a hectic month for Erik ten Hag's side, with nine fixtures taking place across three competitions. After defeat to Newcastle United, the Reds rallied to win four and draw one of our remaining five Premier League fixtures, placing us in a great position to claim a Champions League spot.

We also secured a position in the Emirates FA Cup final for the 21st time, with the penalty-shootout win over Brighton at Wembley setting up a first-ever all-Manchester final.

The Europa League quarter-final defeat to Sevilla was disappointing but, overall, it’s been a positive month for the Reds and, in particular, the three nominees…

Bruno's seven goals against Villa Video

Bruno's seven goals against Villa

Player highlights | Aston Villa must hate Bruno Fernandes, because he's now scored seven goals against them...

BRUNO FERNANDES

Our indefatigable playmaker missed the Sevilla second leg through suspension but, otherwise, he’s been an ever-present in the XI. Even when it looked as though an early injury at Wembley may have serious consequences for his campaign, he lasted 100 minutes in the semi-final before returning to play a key role in big league games against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

March's winner has continued to show his versatility, excelling at the beginning of April as a deep-lying midfield orchestrator before moving further forward to his more familiar no.10 position. His one goal during the month, against Villa, came when he was stationed on the right-hand side of the attack, but Fernandes is so much more than just a scorer – his force of personality has been vital in a period where United have rarely hit top gear but often got the job done.

VICTOR LINDELOF

Victor appeared for just 11 minutes across the first three league games of April, but soon found himself thrust into the limelight due to injury absences. The cool, calm Swede proved unflappable in helping United to victory at Nottingham Forest and he was a key reason we kept a clean sheet against Villa at the weekend, with his goal-saving block from Jacob Ramsey a particular highlight (even if the offside flag did then go up).

But Lindelof’s first nomination since April 2021 owes a lot to his totemic showing at Wembley. The centre-back didn’t put a foot wrong throughout 120 minutes as we successfully repelled Brighton, before slotting home one of the most ice-cold penalties you’ll ever see to send the United end into raptures.

All The Angles: Lindelof's semi-final penalty Video

All The Angles: Lindelof's semi-final penalty

All The Angles | Victor Lindelof's winning penalty in our 2023 semi-final is worth watching over and over again...

LUKE SHAW

Lindelof’s partner for recent games completes our trio of nominees. Shaw missed three of April’s nine matches due to injury, but, due to Harry Maguire’s suspension for the cup semi-final, was called upon to revisit the centre-back role he excelled in during the winter. It can’t be easy transitioning from the type of buccaneering full-back so valued in the modern game to a reliable, but forward-thinking, central defender, but Luke has absolutely nailed it - he and Victor are unbreached as a partnership in seven of the eight halves of football they’ve played together.

Like Bruno and Victor, Luke is a previous United Player of the Month winner, but you’d have to go back to March 2021 for the last time he collected the prize.

Defending staunchly Video

Defending staunchly

Big tackles, important blocks and goal-line clearances helped the Reds overcome Aston Villa 1-0...

VOTE NOW

The poll is now open to decide United's Player of the Month for April.

Simply cast your vote for one of the three nominees below, and we'll confirm the winner this Saturday (6 May), ahead of the trip to West Ham United.

レッズ
Who is your Player of the Month for April?poll

Who is your Player of the Month for April?

Recommended: