Alessia Russo, Lucia Garcia and Ona Batlle are the trio up for our latest award, and they would all be first-time winners, after Mary Earps claimed January’s inaugural prize, before Leah Galton scooped the accolade in February.

Marc Skinner’s side have ended the month top of the Women’s Super League having won two games from three in the competition, as well as reaching the team’s first-ever FA Cup semi-final, following a last-eight victory away to Lewes.

Off the back of those four outings, we’ve whittled down the standout performers to three, and you can choose between them by casting your vote via the poll below. 

But before you do that, here’s a reminder of why Batlle, Garcia and Russo are all in the running, if you need it…

ALESSIA RUSSO
Four apps, three goals, two assists

The forward made quite the start to the month, scoring United Women’s first-ever WSL hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Leicester City at Leigh Sports Village. It was her first treble for the club too, and came in the perfect goalscoring fashion, as she netted one with her right foot and one with her left, as well as heading one in from close range. Along with her goalscoring feat in that game, the England international was also a provider, getting the assist for Galton’s strike, which was United’s fourth of the afternoon.

Alessia may have been thwarted from adding to her season’s goal tally the following week in the loss at Chelsea, but had a role to play in our opener away to Lewes seven days later - and while it is unclear if she got a touch on Batlle's cross - her attempt to play the ball ultimately led to Rhian Cleverly turning it past her own goalkeeper. Russo was also involved in the breakthrough moment during our Old Trafford triumph over West Ham on the following weekend, winning the penalty that would yield the game's first goal, and therefore her second assist of March, by our reckoning.

LUCIA GARCIA 
Four apps, three goals

Garcia made a telling impact across the month for United, despite only starting one of our four outings. The forward came off the bench in the win over Leicester to produce a neat run and finish into the bottom corner that completed the scoring.

The Spaniard was also a threat from the start against Lewes before making a big influence in our Old Trafford triumph, after coming on as a second-half substitute. Lucia doubled the Reds’ lead, shortly after Katie Zelem’s penalty opened the scoring, following a brilliant piece of control and a tidy finish. In stoppage time, our no.17 found the net again, arriving in the right place at the right time to calmly slot home the rebound after Martha Thomas’s initial effort was saved.

ONA BATLLE 
Four apps, four assists

Ona continued to get up and down the right flank throughout the month of March, carrying on her impressive season so far. As well as helping United to register a shutout against West Ham, she notably added four assists to an already staggering tally that is now 14 across all competitions so far in 2022/23. The full-back put an inch-perfect flighted ball across the goal for Russo to head home against Leicester, before her teasing cross away to Lewes forced the own goal that gave Skinner's side the lead.

That was the first of two assists we accredited to the Spaniard in the quarter-final outing, as she later crossed for Vilde Boe Risa to head home the Reds' second goal of the match. At Old Trafford, our no.2 teed up Hayley Ladd for our third of the game, this time with a low pass across the ground.

WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR?

You can now make your selection for your Player of the Month for March via the poll below - we will announce the winner later in the week. 

Good luck to Alessia, Lucia and Ona!