Al Ain pair Khalid Essa and Yahya Nader won December’s Arabian Gulf League Goalkeeper of the Month and Player of the Month awards respectively, while Al Dhafra’s Vuk Rasovic was voted Manager of the Month in the 48-hour voting that started at 19:00 on January 19.

Nader collected a whooping 44 per cent of the votes, brushing aside competition from Dhafra’s Joao Pedro, while Al Nasr Defender Mahmoud Khamis came third. Al Wasl’s Fabio de Lima followed and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club midfielder Abdullah Al Naqbi rounded off the top five.

Between the sticks, it was Al Ain custodian Khalid Eisa who triumphed with a similarly emphatic 46 per cent of the votes, ahead of Dhafra keeper Khalid Al Senani, while Shabab Al Ahli skipper Majed Nasser came third.

Serbian coach Vuk Rasovic of Dhafra was named Manager of the Month following a tighter competition; his 3 per cent of the votes bettered Shabab Al Ahli’s Rodolfo Arruabarrena and Al Jazira’s Marcel Keizer.

The UAE Pro League will hand winners their awards ahead of their respective teams’ Arabian Gulf League match-week 13 fixtures, starting on Thursday.

Shortlisted nominees are selected based on statistics provided by international sports stats company OPTA based on their performances in the AGL.