Villa Duo Make Awards Shortlist

Two Aston Villa players have made the shortlist for the best player in the Premier League for the month of December. The Aston Villa duo made the nominees’ list for the Premier League Player of the Month Award for last month as announced on Friday afternoon. Aston Villa shot stopper Emiliano Martinez and Aston Villa forward Anwar El-Ghazi will battle with six others for the right to win the monthly award.

New signing Emiliano Martinez has been a big boost to the Aston Villa defence this season following his big transfer from fellow Premier League team Arsenal. Aston Villa paid around £20m to sign the Argentine international goalkeeper at the start of the season. He has the most clean sheets amongst the Premier League goalkeepers this season.

Emiliano Martinez has kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League this term and four of those came during the five Aston Villa matches in the month under review (December). For Anwar El-Ghazi, the Dutch winger didn’t start the season in the Aston Villa XI. He had to wait his turn before making his mark for the midlands club in the Premier League this term. Injuries forced manager Dean Smith to hand him an extended run in the starting XI and he has been able to make the most of it with five goals in the month of December. All his five league goals this season were scored last month. Anwar El-Ghazi scored the winning goal as a substitute in the slim midlands derby win at Wolves before netting two goals in another midlands derby at West Brom. El-Ghazi also found the back of the net in the league games against London clubs Crystal Palace and Chelsea in December.

Apart from Emiliano Martinez and Anwar El-Ghazi, the Manchester United duo of Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashfordplus Manchester City defender John Stones, West Ham United midfielder Thomas Soucek, Burnleycentre back Ben Meeand Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah all made the aforementioned nominees’ list for December’s Player of the Month Award.