MANCHESTER United striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has won the PFA Fans’ Premier League Player of the Month award for December, beating the likes of Adam Lallana and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Nearly 64,000 votes were cast in the poll, which was held on the Sky Sports website and apps, with Ibrahimovic claiming victory with 24,092 votes.
Liverpool’s Lallana came second with 17,935 votes, while Chelsea defender Azpilicueta was third with 11,944 votes. Rounding off the top six were Tottenham’s Dele Alli (5,863), Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford (2,874) and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet (1,264).
The six candidates were chosen by a panel of experts, which included Sky Sports pundits Peter Beagrie and Paul Merson, Mike Riley – general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials, and Malcolm Clarke – chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation.
And it was Ibrahimovic, who scored six goals from seven matches in December that came out on top.
Speaking before he added to his tally against West Ham, Ibrahimovic declared that he had already silenced those who doubted he could succeed in the Premier League.
“It gives me a lot of energy, trust me,” he said.
“A lot of energy, because they get paid to talk and I get paid to play with my feet – that’s how I enjoy it.
“I wanted to come when everyone thought I was over [the hill]. I’m super-happy and I feel good.”
