Noah Okafor shortlisted for April Premier League award after Leeds surge amid West Ham and Man City rivals | OneFootball

Noah Okafor has been shortlisted for April’s Premier League Player of the Month after three goals and one assist in a seven-point month for Leeds United. According to yorkshireevenpost.co.uk, the Swiss winger’s form has earned him a place on an eight-man list.

Leeds’ 2-1 win at Old Trafford, their first league success there since 1981, was built on Okafor’s first-half brace. He finished Jayden Bogle’s cross, then a deflected volley doubled the lead, a cushion they just about held against 10-man hosts.

The following weekend at Wolves, Okafor teed up James Justin’s bicycle-kick opener and scored less than 90 seconds later after a sweeping counter. Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted an added-time penalty to cap a 3-0 victory.

He then featured at Bournemouth as Leeds twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at the Vitality Stadium.

Key rivals include West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen, who supplied four assists as his side also took seven points, and teammate Konstantinos Mavropanos, recognised for two goals and strong defending. Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is selected after a match-winning second-half hat-trick against Burnley, plus a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win at Sunderland.

Manchester City pair Nico O’Reilly and Rayan Cherki are on the list, along with Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who impressed against Leeds. Voting is open until 12pm on Monday, May 4 and will be combined with judgement from a panel of experts to decide the winner.

Okafor will hope to emulate Leeds teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the December winner after six goals in five games. He is a doubt for Friday’s visit of managerless Burnley after a calf knock in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat at Chelsea, although Daniel Farke said he hopes to have Okafor and Jaka Bijol available but cannot say if they will be.

Source: yorkshireevenpost.co.uk