Sunderland striker rivals Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham stars for award

Defore scored five goals and had a shot accuracy of 78% in the games against Aston Villa, Swansea, Spurs and Bournemouth.

Three of his goals came in the win against Swansea, and he played every minute of all the games.

Defoe also made 43 successful passes.

Other nominees include Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, who scored the winner at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

He too scored five times in January, and had a shot accuracy of 57%. He also had one assist.

Other nominations are Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, Tottenham’s Dele Alli, Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk and Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Manager of the month contenders are Southampton’s Ronald Koeman, West Ham’s Slaven Bilic, Man City’s Manuel Pellegrini, and Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino.

Winners will be annouced tomorrow.