Jelavic Wins Player Of The Month

Blues striker is the Premier League's top performer for April.

Everton striker Nikica Jelavic is the Premier League’s Player of the Month for April.

The Croatian international striker has been in razor-sharp form, netting six league goals in the calendar month.

That half dozen of strikes came in batches of two, with him firing a brace in three consecutive games – against Norwich, Manchester United and Fulham.

There was also an FA Cup goal against Liverpool sandwiched in between them, at one stage giving him a return of seven from just four games.

Jelavic said: “I am really pleased to have won this award. Everyone at Everton has been very good to me since I arrived at the Club and I am glad that I have been able to reward the fans for their fantastic support.

"Awards are always nice and this one shows how well the team is doing just now. We are playing some great football and we are creating chances, which for a centre-forward is obviously very important. We are finishing the season really well and we hope to end with two more wins from our last two games.”

The striker’s impressive April builds on the breakthrough he made in March and has taken his goalscoring feats to now record-breaking levels.

Prior to his superb solo second against Fulham, incredibly, his previous 28 goals had all been scored with a single touch.

That goal also saw him reach 10 for the Club and, in doing so in just 910 minutes, became the quickest to reach that particular milestone for 100 years.

Jelavic’s haul since moving to Everton has taken his overall tally – including those scored for previous club Glasgow Rangers – to 27 for the campaign.

He’ll be officially presented with the award on the pitch before the final game of the season against Newcastle United at Goodison Park.