By Nurudeen Obalola
Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga have all been included in a six-man shortlist for the English Premier League Player of the Month for March.
Also up for an award in March are Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Manchester United’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler, who are all in contention for the EPL Manager of the Month prize.
Rice, Fernandes and Elanga will vie for the player award with Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, Forest defender Nikola Milenkovic and Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
All the nominated players were impressive in March, with Bellegarde registering three assists in two matches and Elanga scoring twice.
Fernandes contributed two goals and two assists, while Rice netted one goal, the same as Van Hecke.
The nominated managers were all unbeaten in March, Amorim leading his erratic United side to a 3-0 win at Leicester City just before the international break after a 1-1 home draw with title-chasing Arsenal.
Nuno, who has already been voted Manager of the Month twice this season, oversaw a brilliant 1-0 victory over defending champions Manchester City and a 4-2 win at Ipswich Town as Forest continued their quest for a UEFA Champions League spot.
Hurzeler’s Brighton will finish March in seventh after stretching their unbeaten Premier League run to five matches by beating Fulham 1-0 and earning a 2-2 draw at Manchester City.
The winners of the awards will be determined by votes from fans and a panel of experts.
