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The Manchester United Player of the Year Award, also known as the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year, is bestowed upon the best United player of the season, as voted by fans from all over the world. Some of the best players of the world have won the award, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won it three times, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney. David De Gea, the reigning Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year has won it a record 4 times, while current midfield dynamo Ander Herrera has also won it once.
The award is generally presented by the end of the season, as voting begins by the end of April. Anyone with an account in the club's official website can vote for their favourite player.
Last season's winner David De Gea is no longer the favourite to lift the trophy this season, as the failure to keep clean sheets mean that he has dropped down the rankings. As such, there is a possibility of a player lifting the trophy for the first time by the end of this year. The expectations are building, as Solskjaer continues to bring the best out of every player now, however, these 5 men are currently the front-runners for the award at the start of January 2019.
#5 Luke Shaw
The English left-back started the season with a bang, scoring the winner against Leicester City in the first game of the season. Luke Shaw was terrific in the first couple of months, where he played almost every game for United. He was one of the best players in the team and it looked like Shaw would finally fulfil his promise. However, it was rumoured that he had fallen out with Mourinho again, which was the reason why he had not been selected for the Portuguese's last 3 games in charge.
On Solskjaer's arrival, Shaw was immediately sent back into the team, in his favoured position. He was allowed to flourish in a style of play that adds to his strengths, as the English youngster bombed forward consistently in games. Shaw already looks the first choice for that left-back role at present and should go from strength to strength as the season progresses. His recent improvement already shows what a fine player he has been for United this season.
Shaw has the third most touches in the team so far, even though he has missed 5 games already this season. He has also completed the third most passes in his team. Among the defenders, only Young has attempted more crosses than Shaw, who also has the most tackles among the defenders. The English full-back is averaging almost 61 passes per game and has a 55% tackle success rate so far.
Perhaps the only let-down has been that Shaw has already collected 7 yellow cards so far, the highest in the team and the third highest in the league so far, so he needs to be a little more careful now. After a strong first season in the Premier League, Luke Shaw is 5th among the top contenders for the Manchester United Player of the season.
#4 Ander Herrera
Ander Herrera's importance to this Manchester United team cannot be stressed enough. The winner of the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award for the 2016/17 season was brought to Old Trafford by Louis van Gaal and has managed to be an integral part of both the Dutchman and his successor's team.
The Spaniard found his chances limited at the start of this season. Early in the season, Mourinho had opted to start him out of position as a part of a back three against Tottenham, a move that had been disastrous for United as well as the player. Subsequently, Herrera had been restricted to a handful to substitute appearances until the start of November, when United travelled to Turin to face an undefeated Juventus side in the Champions League.
Herrera's tenacity and work rate were crucial as United handed the Serie A side their first defeat of the season. As United struggled in the league, Herrera started in all of Mourinho's last 4 games, as he brought back much-needed stability in the midfield. It was also a period where he scored 1 goal and also picked up another assist.
On Solskjaer's appointment, Herrera has been allowed a lot more freedom to express himself and the Spaniard has been indispensable in the middle. He has allowed Pogba and Matic to flourish and has quietly done all the hard work for the team. Herrera now has 2 goals and 3 assists from 16 games so far this season and a lot more is expected of him in the coming months.
At the start of January, Ander Herrera is ranked 4th in the race to become the Manchester United Player of the season, for the second time in his career.
#3 Paul Pogba
Manchester United's most influential player has been on devastating form ever since Solskjaer had taken over. Pogba has scored 4 goals and registered 3 assists in the last 4 games and has looked like a Player worth the big bucks that Manchester United paid for him 3 summers ago. However, the season had not been so rosy for the Frenchman from the start.
Pogba started the season by scoring two goals in the opening two games in the league but waned away as the season progressed. Mourinho's demanding regime took its toll and the Frenchman rarely looked like a player willing to give his all on the pitch. He did score twice in the first game of the Champions League as well, however, his form hit rock bottom in the later stages of Mourinho's reign. There were reports of the two falling apart and Pogba was on the bench in Mourinho's last 3 games, a period where he had just one appearance from the bench, for 15 minutes against Arsenal.
Enter Solskjaer and the tables had turned in an instant. Pogba looked like a beast on the field again and dictated games with ease. Even though he has experienced a mixed season so far, the Frenchman has the most passes, the most touches on the ball and also the most through balls in this team. He is also the joint top scorer with 9 goals in all competitions and also the No. 1 provider in the team with 7 assists.
Pogba is expected to get even better as United try to revive their season under Solskjaer. At the start of January, the Frenchman is third among the top contenders for the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award.
#2 Marcus Rashford
From the boy who looked lost under Mourinho to the determined young man who is second among the contenders for the Manchester United Player of the Year Award, Marcus Rashford's rise this season has been nothing short of spectacular.
Under Mourinho's rigid tactics, Rashford's talent was on the verge of drying up. The Englishman was expected to track back every time the opposition came knocking. He was burdened with a lot of defensive responsibilities and he came close to cracking as was evident with the first red card of his career against Burnley, a result of too much aggression in his game.
Under Mourinho, Rashford looked like a sad child, and while he did have an impact off the bench on a couple of occasions, his development had stopped. He had almost gone backwards and United were on the verge of losing a phenomenal talent.
This is where the contribution of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to the Englishman's life is of vital importance. The Norwegian rejuvenated the youngster and got him back to playing his natural game. And Rashford has been phenomenal in his last 4 starts, scoring 3 goals and picking up an assist. The Englishman now has 7 goals and 6 assists from 25 appearances this season. At Manchester United, he is only behind Paul Pogba in the number of shots attempted and the shots on target.
Rashford looks the most dangerous of the front three right now, as he already looks like one of the players of the year and more of the same performance could enable him to finish the season with that coveted trophy in his hands for the first time.
#1 Anthony Martial
The only player who has been consistently good even in midst of the managerial turmoil at Old Trafford has been Anthony Martial. The Frenchman was the silver lining as Jose Mourinho's season turned sour and United went from bad to worse under the Portuguese. Martial broke the shackles and delivered when Manchester United needed him the most, powering the club through the rough patches and ensuring that the games were still watchable under the Portuguese.
The Frenchman's start to the season was obnoxious, as he failed to get a regular run into the team. However, as the big names failed to make a mark, Mourinho was forced to turn to his young star and Martial delivered like only Martial can.
He went on a 5 game scoring spree, from the start of October to mid-November, where he found the back of the net 6 times in a row. United won 4, drew 1 and lost 1 of those games, as Martial carried the team on his shoulders. It was not just his goals, but the manner in which he scored them that made him so reliable. He was the only player who had the trust of all the United fans of the world.
However, Mourinho's fickle team selections hurt the Frenchman, something that has changed under Solskjaer. The Frenchman now has the full trust of his manager, who wants him to run at the defenses at will and Martial is a part of a seriously good United front three who excite fans and scare the opposition in equal measure. The Frenchman has already scored 9 goals from 22 appearances this season.
At the start of January, Martial is the No. 1 contender for the Manchester United Player of the Year Award. It will be no surprise if the Frenchman goes on to win the coveted award come May.
