Sideshow Bob
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Vote for Manchester United's Player of the Month - Official Manchester United Website
Jesse Lingard, Memphis Depay and Marcus Rashford are the three nominees for Manchester United's new Player of the Month award following their good form in February.
JESSE LINGARD
Key stats: 7 appearances, 3 goals
Summary: The Academy graduate began February by scoring the first goal in United's convincing 3-0 win over Stoke City, with a terrific stooping header from Cameron Borthwick-Jackson’s excellent cross. He followed that up by netting a superb individual opener against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the scene of an entertaining 1-1 draw, before converting again in the 3-0 Emirates FA Cup win at Shrewsbury Town. Notably, the 23-year-old also notched a fine assist with a left-footed cross that led to fellow youth-team product Marcus Rashford’s second goal in Sunday's 3-2 victory over Arsenal.
Jesse said: “The boss has said that I'm getting back to my form now from what I had before my injury and I need to keep kicking on.” (7 February)
MEMPHIS DEPAY
Key stats: 7 appearances, 2 goals
Summary: Memphis enjoyed a fine return to form in February and the Dutchman’s confidence unquestionably increased from game to game. He began the month as a substitute against Chelsea and was criticised in some quarters for his role in Diego Costa's equaliser, after gifting possession to the Blues in the build-up. But he soldiered on to become a certain starter and scored an important away goal at FC Midtjylland, before producing a Man-of-the-Match performance in the home leg at Old Trafford. On that night, he gave the visitors' right-back Romer a torrid time from start to finish, prompting his opponent to admit he'd “never been so close to crying after a match”.
Memphis said: “Working with Giggs makes me even hungrier on the training ground, it makes me want to try new things. I ask him for advice because he's been there; he knows how to read the circumstances, how to handle situations. It is really inspiring and helpful.” (24 February)
MARCUS RASHFORD
Key stats: 2 appearances, 4 goals
Summary: Yes, he only made two appearances in February’s seven fixtures, but the Academy graduate’s influence on the must-win games against Midtjylland and Arsenal was undeniable. The 18-year-old made an unexpected debut against the Danes as a late replacement for the injured Anthony Martial and impressively repaid the manager’s faith with a sensational brace in a 5-1 win. He retained his starting berth against the Gunners and wowed fans by again scoring twice, this time in as many minutes - firstly with an instinctive finish and then with a deft header past Petr Cech. Rashford also notched an assist for Ander Herrera and ran away with our Man-of-the-Match poll with 82 per cent of votes cast on Twitter.
Rashford said: “It was a shock when I played in midweek, because [Anthony] Martial was meant to be starting. But that maybe benefited me because I wasn’t thinking about the game too much.” (28 February)