The shortlist for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January has been announced.
Seven players have been selected for the shortlist based on their performances in January 2023. No team has more than one representative on the list, with players from Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest all featuring.
The winner is expected to be revealed on Friday, February 3. Supporters can cast their vote here.
Dan Burn – Newcastle United
Dan Burn has become the fifth Newcastle player to earn a Player of the Month nomination this season, after teammates Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Miguel Almiron and Nick Pope.
The Magpies are challenging for a top-four spot, and their backline is a huge reason why. In January, Burn was part of a defence that didn’t concede a single goal.
The Englishman played every minute as his side shut out Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Brennan Johnson – Nottingham Forest
Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest have enjoyed a fine start to 2023 (in the league, anyway). They played four league games in January, picking up eight points.
Brennan Johnson played a key role in these results. After firing a blank in the draw at home to Chelsea, the Wales international assisted the only goal as the Reds took all three points from their trip to Southampton.
Johnson continued to shine ten days later, as he bagged a brace against fellow Midlands side Leicester City. He then rounded off January with an assist for Sam Surridge’s late equaliser against Bournemouth.
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
Riyad Mahrez faces a tough battle to start for Man City, competing with the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish for regular minutes. If he keeps performing like this, however, he will be simply undroppable.
He kicked off January by scoring the winner away to Chelsea, just three minutes after coming on as a substitute. He followed this up with a stellar second-half performance at home to Tottenham Hotspur, scoring twice and assisting once as the Cityzens overturned a two-goal deficit to claim all three points.
The Algerian’s final league appearance of the month came at the Etihad Stadium against Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he was once again influential. He won the ball high up the pitch and unselfishly squared for Erling Haaland to tap in for his hat-trick.
Solly March – Brighton & Hove Albion
It’s been a fine January for Brighton, taking seven points from a possible nine. Solly March has been one of the league’s standouts during the last few weeks, scoring and assisting twice in his last three matches.
He began by netting the third in his side’s 4-1 victory away to Everton. But it was up against the red half of Merseyside that he really shone.
March ripped Liverpool apart with a stunning display, bagging a brace and setting up Danny Welbeck as the Seagulls won 3-0.
Marcus Rashford – Manchester United
After a difficult season last year, Marcus Rashford is back and looking better than ever. In all competitions, no Premier League player has scored more than the forward aside from Erling Haaland.
In the league, the 25-year-old added three to his personal tally in January. He began by putting the finishing touches on a wonderful performance at home to Bournemouth, tapping in from Bruno Fernandes’ square ball to make it 3-0.
This was followed by the winning goal at home to bitter rivals Man City in the final ten minutes. And, despite the result, Rashford still managed to impress in his side’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal, hitting a powerful shot in at the near post from distance in the first half.
David Raya – Brentford
David Raya becomes the third goalkeeper to be nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award in the 2022/23 season, after Nick Pope and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
If he wins, he would be only the ninth goalkeeper to scoop the prize and the first since Fraser Forster in February 2016. He would also become the first-ever Brentford player to win the award.
Raya has attracted a lot of attention from some of the country’s biggest clubs lately. In January, he conceded just once from three games, while making a total of 11 saves.
Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
Arsenal’s title charge continued at a strong pace in the last month, taking seven points from three difficult fixtures. And Bukayo Saka was once again the star for the Gunners.
After failing to register a goal or an assist against Newcastle, Saka was influential in the north London derby. First, he saw his cross diverted into his own net by Hugo Lloris, before teeing up Martin Odegaard to double Arsenal’s advantage.
And he wasn’t done there. In a gripping clash against Man United, the youngster lit up the game with a stunning effort in the second half, finding the far corner from distance to make it 2-1 to the hosts.
