The nominees for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award for March have been revealed.
The shortlist comprises eight players who have stood out over the last month in English football’s top flight.
Three England internationals make the shortlist, with no other nation featuring multiple times. Meanwhile, there are also no clubs that feature more than once.
The winner of the award will be announced on Friday, April 2.
Andreas Christensen – Chelsea
Perhaps the biggest underdog for the prize, Andreas Christensen has been reintroduced to the Chelsea side since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival and has been excellent.
The centre-back started each of the Blues’ four league matches in March against Liverpool, Everton, Leeds United and Sheffield United, keeping clean sheets in all four.
Kelechi Iheanacho – Leicester City
Leicester’s recent injury crisis could have easily led to an almighty collapse, but Kelechi Iheanacho has been influential in preventing that.
The Nigerian scored in all of the Foxes’ fixtures in March. He began with a belting volley to equalise at Turf Moor and followed this up with another equaliser against Brighton.
But it was in their final league game where he really shone. Playing up against manager-less Sheffield United, Iheanacho bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 thumping.
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur
It may have been a bitterly disappointing month for Tottenham, but Harry Kane has not let his standards slip.
The England captain registered three goals and two assists, including an absolute screamer against Crystal Palace. He ended March at the top of the Premier League’s goal AND assist charts, leaving him as one of the leading candidates for the PFA Player of the Year award.
Jesse Lingard – West Ham United
Having missed out last month to Ilkay Gundogan, Jesse Lingard is nominated for the second month in a row.
Despite playing just two games this month, the midfielder shone once again for the Hammers. He netted the opener in the 2-0 victory over Leeds and got a goal and an assist in the thrilling 3-3 draw against Arsenal. This form earned him a recall to the England national team after over 18 months out.
Riyad Mahrez – Manchester City
Competition for places at Man City is high, but Riyad Mahrez can guarantee himself regular minutes if he continues to perform like this.
The winger scored three goals in as many outings during March, netting a brace against Southampton to go with his strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Illan Meslier – Leeds United
Another outsider for the award is Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
The 21-year-old has gone somewhat under the radar this season but has once again produced some impressive performances. He put in a man-of-the-match display in the 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea and pulled off five saves in the 2-1 win at Fulham.
Luke Shaw – Manchester United
At the beginning of the season, Luke Shaw’s chances of getting into Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad looked very slim. A few months on, and he’s arguably one of the first names on the team sheet.
Shaw was part of a backline that kept three clean sheets out of three in the league during March. Furthermore, the left-back scored the second goal in Man Utd’s shock 2-0 win away at bitter rivals Man City.
Leandro Trossard – Brighton and Hove Albion
Rounding off the shortlist is Brighton’s Leandro Trossard.
The Seagulls picked up six vital points in their fight against relegation, and Trossard was integral to those points. The Belgian netted the winner against Southampton and got a goal and an assist in the 3-0 win against Newcastle United.
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