Saturday 14 February 2015 17:08, UK
The nominees for the Premier League Player of the Month and Manager of the Month awards have been announced.
Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle, Chelsea's Brazilian goalscorer Oscar, Southampton defender Jose Fonte, Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, Tottenham's Harry Kane and Arsenal's Santi Cazorla are the six players vying for January honours.
Kane's headline-grabbing performances for Spurs have been hard to ignore and the 21-year-old now looks well on his way to a call-up to the senior England squad. The striker scored five goals through the month and did not shirk from hard work, playing 357 minutes in January.
Oscar came to the fore when Chelsea were on the attack, the attacking midfielder scoring three goals and adding two assists.
Gayle has played no small part in Palace's improving form and has thrived since Alan Pardew's arrival, scoring a memorable last-gasp winner against Burnley at Turf Moor.
Southampton rely heavily on centre-back Fonte and the Saints skipper rarely has a bad game. He was outstanding in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at St Mary's and was a towering presence in the famous 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Cool-headed Can has calmness beyond his 21 years, and Liverpool has benefited from the German's versatility across midfield in the past month.
Cazorla has hit new heights for Arsenal, consistently dribbling past Manchester City players in the Gunners' 2-0 away win and regularly dominating the space between the centre-forward and the midfield.
The managers to make the shortlist are Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes and Southampton’s Ronald Koeman.
Pochettino's Spurs pulled off a stunning 5-3 win over competition leaders Chelsea on New Year’s Day, whilst Koeman's Saints have maintained their unexpected push for a Champions League place.
Liverpool have also had a strong start to 2015 with Rodgers taking the Reds to three wins and a draw for the month.
Stoke boss Hughes might have suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates, but a 1-1 draw with Manchester United and strong wins against lower-ranked teams have confirmed Stoke’s mid-table position.
