Nicolas Jackson ends Aston Villa’s 11-year wait with Premier League award

Nicolas Jackson has made an immediate impact at Aston Villa since joining Unai Emery’s side, and his latest recognition puts him alongside some of the Premier League’s most celebrated African forwards.

Jackson’s October brilliance earns Premier League recognition

The Senegal international has been named the EA SPORTS Premier League Player of the Month for October after scoring four goals in four league appearances.

His standout performance came against Manchester City on October 24, when he scored twice to help Villa secure a 2-1 victory and end the visitors’ perfect start to the league campaign.

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Jackson also found the net against Brentford and Fulham, while contributing to a 1-0 win away at Newcastle United. Villa remained unbeaten in their Premier League matches throughout the month.

The award makes Jackson the first Aston Villa player to receive the honour since Christian Benteke in April 2015. He is also the first Senegalese winner since Sadio Mané claimed it in November 2019.

Jackson adds to impressive run across competitions

The 25-year-old scored six goals in six appearances across all competitions during October, including a brace in Villa’s 6-0 Champions League victory over Fenerbahçe.

His performances also earned him the PFA Select Car Leasing Premier League Fans’ Player of the Month award, giving him two individual honours for the same period.

Jackson topped an eight-man shortlist that included Bournemouth's Evanilson, Arsenal's Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, Tottenham's Jan Paul van Hecke, Coventry City's Jack Rudoni and Brighton duo Bart Verbruggen and Luka Vušković.

The Premier League award was decided through a combination of public votes and selections from a panel of football experts.

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