Joe Willock named Premier League player of the month for May

29 May 2021 13:47

Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock has been named as the Premier League's player of the month for May after a superb run of four goals in four games.

The on-loan Arsenal man beat off competition Liverpool duo Alisson and Sadio Mane as well as Christian Benteke, Gareth Bale, Nicolas Pepe, Aaron Ramsdale and Rodrigo to claim the award.

Having joined Newcastle on a temporary basis in February, Willock has been a huge part of the Magpies' bid to retain their Premier League status, with his seven goals in seven games helping drag them away from the bottom three to record a 12th place finish.

Only Alan Shearer had managed to score in seven consecutive games for Newcastle prior to Willock's incredible goalscoring run - with four of the Arsenal loanee's seven strikes coming in the month of May alone.

Steve Bruce has already signalled his intention to sign Willock on a permanent basis this summer - with a £20m bid rumoured to be in the offing - though Mikel Arteta appears keen to see the youngster return to the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners' top goalscoring midfielder this season was Emile Smith Rowe with four in all competitions, a stat which makes something of a mockery of the club's decision to allow Willock to leave midway through the season.

Excluding Willock's strikes for Arsenal before being shipped out on loan, Arteta's midfield mustered just 11 goals in all competitions this season and so the Spaniard's clamour to see him return to north London is certainly understandable.

Should Newcastle's attempts to retain the services of the 22-year-old this summer prove unsuccessful, he's likely to have a big part to play at Arsenal next season as the club look to improve on their underwhelming 2020/21 campaign.

Source: 90min