Premier League confirm nominees for December 2024 Player & Manager of the Month awards | OneFootball

The final month of 2024 churned through 63 games, 189 goals and saw the appointment of two new managers in the Premier League.

Amid that blur of festive football, the powers that be at England's top flight managed to whittle out eight nominees for the Player of the Month and four candidates for the managerial equivalent. The Liverpool pairing of Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot were presented with these awards in November and are once again in contention.

However, the rest of the division - and another figure from within the Merseyside giants - can stake their own claim for the latest bout of individual honours.

Premier League Player of the Month nominees - December 2024

Mohamed Salah had another prolific month / Harry Murphy - Danehouse/GettyImages

No player can match Alexander Isak's prolific haul of eight Premier League goals in December. The rubbery Swede scored in all six of Newcastle United's matches last month and nabbed the first hat-trick of his career in England against Ipswich Town on the last weekend before Christmas. No wonder the Magpies value him at £150m.

Isak's understated partner-in-crime throughout this scoring burst has been Jacob Murphy. The unheralded Norwich City academy graduate teed up a trio of Isak's goals during this run and scored three himself. Only one player managed to rack up more assists than Murphy - Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool's unrelenting talisman balanced his swollen haul of seven assists with as many goals. Much like fellow nominee Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah's uncertain contractual situation at Liverpool has not impacted his performance on the pitch.

Chelsea have ensured that Cole Palmer isn't going anywhere. The Blues tied their talented playmaker down to a new nine-year deal in the summer and have watched him nonchalantly stroll through another impressive campaign. Despite a blip in form for the team - Chelsea ended December with one point from three games - Palmer has been at his best.

Nottingham Forest's creator-in-chief Morgan Gibbs-White has also received recognition for his December performances, but the glory does not solely belong to attack-minded players. Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen and Fulham's flying full-back Antonee Robinson have also been nominated.

Premier League Manager of the Month nominees - December 2024

Eddie Howe's Newcastle United won four of six Premier League games in December / Stu Forster/GettyImages

As Liverpool's lead at the Premier League summit remains a healthy six points, Arne Slot is an obvious candidate to retain his managerial award. However, Nuno Espirito Santo's Nottingham Forest boasted a better record than the Reds in December, topping the festive period table with 15 points from six games.

Five consecutive wins to close out the year took Forest up to the heady heights of second place - their loftiest position this late into a top-flight season since 1994. Ever the realist, Nuno quashed any early dreams of Champions League qualification by insisting: "It doesn't mean anything. We haven't achieved anything yet."

Unlike Forest, who lost to Manchester City (a rarity these days), Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth remained unbeaten throughout December. The Cherries were held to a trio of draws, but their full-throttle football and impressive thrashing of Manchester United earned the Spanish manager a moment in the spotlight.

Eddie Howe completed the trio of Newcastle nominees this month. On top of securing qualification for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, the Magpies boss steered his side to four consecutive league wins without conceding a single goal - the last of which was just the club's third top-flight victory at Old Trafford since 1950.