Gundogan named January 2021's EA SPORTS Player of the Month

Ilkay Gundogan has been rewarded for his brilliant start to 2021 by being named the EA SPORTS Player of the Month for January.

The midfielder scored five goals in the month, including spectacular efforts versus Chelsea, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, to help Manchester City to six successive wins on their way to the top of the Premier League table.

Gundogan has likened the feeling of the current winning streak to the club's last two title triumphs in 2017/18 and 2018/19, when they claimed 100 and 98 points respectively.

'We feel unbeatable'

"The highlight of January, it was just the run, the feeling you have inside yourself, that you're so strong at the moment as a team, not just yourself," the German said. "That's just an amazing feeling.

"I had that feeling a few times, in the season where we got 100 points, in the season after when we won the league one point ahead of Liverpool.

"You have that feeling sometimes, where you feel so strong and unbeatable. That was probably the best thing, the best moment that went throughout all the month." 

The 30-year-old wins the award for the first time and is the first Man City player to claim the prize since Sergio Aguero in January 2020.

He topped an eight-man shortlist that included Craig Dawson, Jack Grealish, Bernd Leno, James Maddison, Matheus Pereira, Bukayo Saka and John Stones.

2020/21 EA SPORTS award winners

September: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE)
October: Son Heung-min (TOT)
November: Bruno Fernandes (MUN)
December: Bruno Fernandes (MUN)
January: Ilkay Gundogan (MCI)
February: Ilkay Gundogan (MCI)
March: Kelechi Iheanacho (LEI)

Also in this series

Part 2: Guardiola earns Barclays Manager of the Month award
Part 3: Brilliant Salah strike wins Budweiser Goal of the Month