Despite our positive review of Ji Sung-Park earlier in the month, where Park scored an excellent 8 out of 10,
Man United Blog’s Player of the Month has, by a close call, been awarded to:
Wayne Rooney.
Rooney, who also won the Barclays Player of the Month Award for December (and it’s not often that we agree with those politicised panels!) has simply been our most consistent and dynamic player, week on week- always leaving the field with credit even when the team has played poorly or even he has been having an “off” day.
The 20-year-old claimed the Barclays award after scoring five goals in seven league matches last month, doubing his haul in the Premiership to 10. His scoring streak included a double against Wigan, as well as goals against Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Birmingham. It is the second time Rooney has been honoured, having first received the accolade in February 2005.
The England international’s goals see him sitting joint fourth in the Barclays Race for the Golden Boot. His partnership with fellow striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is also the highest scoring pairing in the league with 25 goals.
Other players who came into serious consideration were, as mentioned before- Ji Sung-Park, Darren Fletcher, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Edwin Van der Sar and Paul Scholes. But in the end, Rooney just shone through in all areas of the game. Nic Gault, from the Barclays Awards Panel, said:
“Fingers crossed Rooney can carry this sort of form into the summer. He’s the hottest property in the league, if not the world, at the moment.“
One has to wonder at the Actim Stats format that the powers that be uses, especially when it comes to defenders who play well for teams that lose for other reasons- but one can’t deny that the panel got it right this time and believe that Man United Blog has as well!