Newcastle, Jan 10 : Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has won the Premier League December Player of the Month award and becomes only the fourth Swedish player in history to win the honour. He won the award for the first time in his career after an incredible month for Newcastle United, scoring eight goals and assisting a further two in six Premier League appearances.

The striker was the Premier League's top scorer in December, finding the net in all six of his appearances as Newcastle won four matches, drew one and lost only once to join the race for a top-four finish.

Isak's goals included a hat-trick against Ipswich Town, while he also scored against Liverpool, Brentford, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Manchester United. His goal in the 3-3 draw with leaders Liverpool is on the shortlist for December's Guinness Goal of the Month award.

He is only the fourth Swedish player to win the award since it was introduced in 1994/95. The others are Freddie Ljungberg for Arsenal (April 2002), Johan Elmander for Bolton Wanderers (November 2010), and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Man Utd (December 2016).

Isak is the first Newcastle player to claim the prize since October 2022, when Miguel Almiron won it. Isak topped an eight-man shortlist after the public's votes on the EA Sports website were combined with those of a panel of football experts.

He has scored in his last seven Premier League matches, and on Wednesday at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, he has the chance to become only the sixth player to ever net in eight in a row. If he scores in that match, he will move three behind Jamie Vardy's record for most consecutive matches scored in.

The The 25-year-old forward netted in Newcastle's EFL Cup semifinal first-leg win at Arsenal in midweek, reaching 50 goals in all competitions for the club. He reached the milestone in his 89th match, making him the third-fastest player to reach a half-century for Newcastle since the Premier League started, after Andrew Cole (50 matches) and Les Ferdinand (84).

Isak beat Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time leading scorer, to a half-century by five appearances.

/IANS