January Player of the Month

Four players have been nominated:

Fred
Harry Maguire
Nemanja Matic
Brandon Williams

Here’s what United.com has had to say:

Fred

“The Brazilian, who was narrowly pipped to December’s award by Marcus Rashford, had another solid month in the middle of the park for United, starting seven of our games in all competitions and being introduced as a substitute in the other two. The former Shakhtar Donetsk man’s standout game probably came in defeat, against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, although he also starred in our 1-0 victory at the Etihad Stadium to close out the month."

Maguire

“January 2020 was a month our summer signing will remember for a long, long time. Maguire, who only missed the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City, was named club captain after Ashley Young’s departure to Internazionale. The 26-year-old then struck his long-awaited first goal for the Reds, although it perhaps wasn’t the type of effort many fans expected! With 10 minutes of our FA Cup fourth-round tie against Tranmere gone, and on a difficult pitch, Harry waltzed forward with the ball before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top-right corner."

Matic

“The Serbian, who featured sparingly in the opening five months of the season, has become an integral part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s midfield in the absence of Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay. The 31-year-old started eight of our nine games during January, coming on as a substitute in the semi-final first leg against Manchester City and helping United get back in the tie. In the second leg, Matic struck only his fourth Reds goal and put in a commanding performance in midfield, before being (harshly) sent off for a second bookable offence late on."

Williams

“The teenager continues to impress during his first United campaign, and this is his second Player of the Month nomination of the season – he was also up for the November award. After sitting out the defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day, Williams then started seven of our next eight games, standing out in the 4-0 Premier League win over Norwich City, when he won the penalty for Marcus Rashford’s second goal. He was deployed on the left of a back five in tough away games at Liverpool and Manchester City, acquitting himself well against difficult opponents in Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez."

My vote goes to Matic, who has been consistently excellent in the centre of the park since his return to the side. He’s been positive and careful with his passing, has carried the ball well, and, as always, has made important interventions using his anticipation well.

The Fred-Matic double pivot has worked surprisingly well for me, no doubt helped by the defence sitting deep and demonstrating patience in possession, and Ole allowing whoever is playing at ten to come a little deeper to help with the transition.

Back to the nominations and Mata is a little unlucky to be overlooked, but I can’t argue with the other three being selected.

Which of the four gets your vote?