Premier League Announce First Manager and Player of the Month Shortlists of the Season

All four managers who have maintained 100% records at the start of the season have been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for August.

All four managers who have maintained 100% records at the start of the season have been nominated for the Premier League Manager of the Month award for August.

Liverpool lead the Premier League on goal difference at this early stage of the season and Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is on the list of nominees, hoping to win the award for the first time since September 2016.

New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has started his tenure with three wins from three and is also up for the prize, as is Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, whose side produced one of the results of the season so far with a 3-0 win at Manchester United on Monday.

BREAKING: Premier League manager of the month for August nominees: Javi Gracia @WatfordFC, Jurgen Klopp @LFC, Mauricio Pochettino @SpursOfficial, Maurizio Sarri @ChelseaFC .

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 31, 2018

However, the most deserved winner would surely be Javi Gracia, whose Watford team have an unexpectedly perfect record after three games. The Hornets were tipped to go down by many people but some will be reconsidering that already.

The first Premier League Player of the Month award of the season is also up for grabs, with seven nominees on that shortlist.

Six players lead the early race for the golden boot with three goals to their names, and three of those players are nominated: Sadio Mane of Liverpool, Lucas Moura of Tottenham and Roberto Pereyra of Watford.

Seven stars that took August by storm

Check out the @EASPORTSFIFA #POTM nominees ➡️ https://t.co/ioukOaZ1oN #PLAwards pic.twitter.com/C1OHzewjba

— Premier League (@premierleague) August 31, 2018

Mane's teammate Virgil van Dijk is also nominated for keeping three clean sheets at the start of the season, while full backs Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City) and Marcos Alonso (Chelsea) are recognised for strong starts to the campaign.

Completing the shortlist is Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who had never played in the Premier League before this month but saved penalties in each of his first two matches against Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Fans have until midnight on Monday to vote for their Manager of the Month.