West Ham striker, Michail Antonio, has been crowned the Premier League’s first ever Player of the Month for July.
The 30-year-old played a crucial role in West Ham’s survival, firing eight goals in just seven games to steer David Moyes’ men away from the relegation zone.
He topped a seven-man July shortlist featuring Olivier Giroud, Harry Kane, Anthony Martial, Nick Pope, Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling to win the award.
“I’m buzzing,” Antonio said. “Obviously as a professional footballer you go out there and try your hardest and your best, so to get some recognition for it is amazing.
“Since I started my professional career this is definitely the best I’ve played and hopefully I can carry it on to next season.”
Votes to decide the winner came from both the fans on the EA SPORTS website and the 20 Premier League club captains.
Antonio’s most notable performance was when he scored his first ever hat-trick by netting four goals against Norwich to relieve West Ham’s bottom of the table trouble.
He also became the first West Ham player to score four goals in a single Premier League away match.