Premier League Player and Manager of the Month shortlists for March revealed

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Premier League Player and Manager of the Month shortlists for March revealed

With the international break swallowing up the last couple of weeks of March, the nominations for the Barclays Player and Manager of the Month awards have already been confirmed.

There's no real surprise that Arsenal have two players nominated for the player award after winning four games out of four in March - Bukayo Saka, who scored three goals and set up a further two, and Leandro Trossard, who became a regular starter in the month en route to bagging five assists.

Brighton's Alexis Mac Allister is recognised after turning on the style against West Ham and Leeds, while Liverpool's Mohamed Salah returns to the fold after bagging five goal contributions in March - including two goals and two assists in the sensational 7-0 win over Manchester United.

Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings helped his side keep two clean sheets in March, as well as bagging an assist against Bournemouth, and the six-player shortlist is completed by Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, whose return from injury yielded three goals in three appearances, including a match-winning brace against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground.

Mikel Arteta headlines the four-strong Manager of the Month shortlist, having guided title-chasing Arsenal to wins in all four of their March outings.

The Gunners scored a whopping 14 goals in that time and now have an eight-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola's City only played twice because of FA Cup commitments, but their brace of wins is enough to see the Spaniard join Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi as a potential winner. He guided the impressive Seagulls to seven points from a possible nine, including a 1-0 win over bitter M23 rivals Crystal Palace.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery completes the shortlist after leading his side to two wins and a draw in March. Crystal Palace and Bournemouth were both seen off at Villa Park. while a trip to West Ham yielded a point after Ollie Watkins' early goal.