United Briefing: He's been unbelievable!

The pair have been nominated alongside Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay, with our left-back Luke currently holding a narrow lead over winger Dan in the voting.

The Wales international caught the eye at the back end of the month, scoring against Real Sociedad and Newcastle and also impressing with his energy and work rate during the 0-0 draw against Chelsea.

But James believes that Shaw, who came second to Paul Pogba in the January vote and has picked up where he left off, contributing three assists to take his tally to five for the season – already a personal best - should take the title when we announce the winner on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s always nice to get a Player of the Month award, but for me personally I think Luke deserves it,” our no.21 told us.

“He’s been unbelievable recently. He’s shown how good he is.

“He’s created so many goals for us and he’s up there with the top assists. He's continuing to do that, to be that player, so he deserves it.”

James himself has not been as involved for the Reds as we was in his debut campaign last year, making 15 first-team appearances as opposed to 46 in 2019/20.

However, he has started in each of the last four games, scoring in two of them, and he received praise from United legend Denis Irwin for his high pressing in the Stamford Bridge draw on Sunday.

Dan said that, although he is averaging a goal involvement every 142 minutes this term, that determination and drive to run hard and contribute to the team effort will always be at the forefront of everything he does.

“I feel really good. I think mindset and hard work is always a given,” he added.

“I’ll always believe and give 100 per cent for the team and I’ve just got to keep continuing that.

“It was about can I go and get goals and assists, but if I’m not doing that, how else am I going to contribute to the team and that’s about working hard off the ball, winning the ball high up and creating for others as well.”

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY?

United take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, in a game which kicks off at 20:15 GMT, and you can follow it live with updates on ManUtd.com and the Official App, as well as radio commentary on MUTV.

In the build-up to kick-off, we'll have all the usual features, including our exclusive interview with Ole.

Keep your eyes peeled for our Player-of-the-Month announcement in the afternoon too. Will Shaw pick up his first award since the 2018/19 season, as Dan suggests he should, or will someone else claim the prize?

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?

Ole held a press conference to preview the Palace game and provided a team news update, with the focus on Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and Phil Jones.

There were quotes from AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, ahead of next week's Europa League tie, and Cavani revealed who he believes is the spirit of this United team. It might not be who you imagine!