The nominees for December's Premier League manager of the month award

08 January 2021 03:51

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is among the nominees for Premier League manager of the month for December, having seen his team surge up the league standings.

Solskjaer is joined on the shortlist by Everton counterpart Carlo Ancelotti, Aston Villa boss Dean Smith and Burnley manager Sean Dyche.

Solskjaer’s United side were unbeaten in the six Premier League games they played in December, winning four of them to take 14 points from a possible 18 on offer.

They finished December by getting a last gasp winner against Wolves at Old Trafford to propel them into second place in the league table.

Ancelotti’s Everton recovered in December from a blip that had affected them since mid-October following what had actually been a blistering start to 2020/21.

Carlo Ancelotti guided Everton back into form | Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Unbeaten in five Premier League games overall during the month, the Toffees won four straight against Chelsea, Leicester, Arsenal and Sheffield United to end the calendar year on a high.

Elsewhere, it was also a fine December for Smith and Aston Villa. It began in difficult circumstances when a game against Newcastle was postponed, but Villa went on to take 11 points from the five fixtures they did play to jump back into the top five.

Their run of victories included two important derby victories over Wolves and West Brom.

Dean Smith's Aston Villa got up to fifth in December | ANDY RAIN/Getty Images

Dyche’s Burnley began December in the Premier League relegation zone and finished it in 16th place after taking maximum points in three of their games and drawing two others.

The Clarets beat Arsenal, Wolves and Sheffield United, while also taking points off Everton and Aston Villa, which is impressive considering their bosses have also been nominated.

Sean Dyche has led Burnley out of the relegation zone | Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Fans can vote for the winner on the Premier League website until 6pm (GMT) on Monday.

The eight-strong December shortlist for Premier League player of the month has also been released, featuring Anwar El Ghazi, Bruno Fernandes, Emiliano Martinez, Ben Mee, Marcus Rashford, Mohamed Salah, Tomas Soucek and John Stones.


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Source: 90min