Vote for United's Player of the Month

There were eight fixtures in total for the Reds as the year drew to a close, with three commanding victories in our last three home matches and the 5-1 triumph at Cardiff City in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first game in caretaker charge also showcasing several outstanding individual performances.

Six players received nominations for our monthly award but Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Anthony Martial just missed out on our three-man shortlist.

So the Reds in the frame for our final star-man accolade of 2018 are Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford - all Academy graduates who have proved instrumental in the recent upturn in form and are each worthy of recognition for their efforts.

Vote for United 's Player of the Month here.

JESSE LINGARD - 6 (2) appearances / 4 goals

There has been so much to admire from United as an attacking unit and the England international has been at the heart of most of our intelligent combination work. He scored four times over the course of the month, including our equaliser in the eventual defeat at Anfield, and his superb brace at Cardiff suggested he is back to his best form. By getting in the right areas, as he did against Liverpool, he also supplied a quickfire leveller in the draw with Arsenal and is developing his finishing prowess. Somebody who runs tirelessly, adds impetus to our play and knits things together, he also supplies assists - such as the one for Anthony Martial's beauty against Cardiff.

PAUL POGBA - 5 (1) appearances / 4 goals

He might have been left on the bench for a couple of matches but has roared back to his brilliant best since Solskjaer took temporary charge. Although he did not score at Cardiff, he claimed three of the assists and was a driving force behind an excellent team display. The last two outings at Old Trafford have allowed the World Cup winner to illustrate his full range of talents, scoring doubles in the wins over Huddersfield and Bournemouth. Asmir Begovic managed to tip his effort onto a post to deny the Frenchman a hat-trick but his all-round performances have been at the highest level. Although he did not begin the month at his best, he ended it with such a bang that he is a real contender for the award. 

MARCUS RASHFORD - 7 (1) appearances / 4 goals

The homegrown striker has been consistently impressive throughout December, working his socks off in attack under both Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer. He started the month with two assists in the 2-2 draw against Southampton and his running stats were off the chart against Arsenal. Opta data shows only Raheem Sterling (32, against Cardiff) made more sprints than the 31 Rashford managed in the entertaining game with the Gunners. The goals have started flowing too, beginning with a rocket against Fulham. He headed home when coming off the bench in Valencia in the Champions League and has been a real focal point of the attack. Although he also netted in the wins over Cardiff and Bournemouth, arguably his most dazzling moment of the month came when setting up the opener for Pogba against the Cherries with some sublime skill. Marcus is a top talent performing with great consistency and endeavour.

It's a tough call this time around but who are you backing for the trophy? Vote for your Player of the Month here.

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