Premier League Awards: Manchester United’s David de Gea named January Player of the Month becomes first goalkeeper to win the award since 2016

Premier League Awards: Manchester United’s David de Gea named January Player of the Month becomes first goalkeeper to win the award since 2016

It is the first time the 31-year-old has won the POTM award, and he beat Jarrod Bowen, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Harrison, Joao Moutinho and James Ward-Prowse to it.

🧤 @ManUtd‘s hero between the sticks 🔴

Introducing your @EASPORTSFIFA Player of the Month for January 2022 – @D_DeGea #PLAwards pic.twitter.com/rBfIZRbFRk

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 4, 2022

Premier League Awards: David de Gea named January Player of the Month

De Gea made 22 saves across the Reds’ four league games in January, particularly excelling during the 3-1 win over Brentford as he kept the Bees at bay during a backs-to-the-wall first half.

David also came up with a vital late stop at Old Trafford a fortnight ago to prevent West Ham taking the lead in a game United eventually won and he becomes only the 10th goalkeeper to claim the award since it was first established in 1995. The Spaniard becomes the first goalkeeper to win the monthly prize since February 2016, when Southampton’s Fraser Forster claimed it.

🥇 @D_DeGea has been voted our Player of the Month for the third time this season. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/6j2nQjGT0O

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 2, 2022

De Gea made an incredible 22 saves across Manchester United’s four matches in January, producing five in the  1-0 defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers, seven in a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa and then a further eight to inspire a 3-1 win at Brentford. He also went on to keep a clean sheet in a crucial 1-0 win over top-four rivals West Ham United.

Overall, De Gea has the most saves in the Premier League this season. His total of 84 is 13 more than his nearest challenger, Illan Meslier. It is the first time the 31-year-old has won the Player of the Month award, after 361 Premier League appearances and 127 clean sheets.

Premier League Awards: Manchester United’s David de Gea named January Player of the Month becomes first goalkeeper to win the award since 2016

Premier League Awards: Ralf Rangnick and David de Gea react

Rangnick on David de Gea winning Premier League Player of the Month: “Amazing. I mean it’s more than well deserved. He kept us in quite a few games with fantastic reactions and saves and yeah, as I’ve said, he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”

David de Gea: “Trying to win things as a team is much bigger than picking up individual awards, but I’m obviously still very happy about it. But as I always say, I believe the most important thing is winning silverware. We have to be battling it out for trophies for the club.”

Premier League Awards: Manchester United’s David de Gea named January Player of the Month becomes first goalkeeper to win the award since 2016

“I’m very happy to have won the Premier League award too, I’d never won it before. I think I’ve been at a consistently high level over a good number of years now and just maybe I could have even won another one before now!”

Premier League Awards: Manchester United’s David de Gea named January Player of the Month becomes first goalkeeper to win the award since 2016