Norwich City's Gabriel Sara and Leicester City's Enzo Maresca win in Championship; Wigan Athletic's Charlie Wyke and Oxford United's Liam Manning win in League One; Swindon Town's Jake Young and MK Dons' Graham Alexander win in League Two
Friday 8 September 2023 07:30, UK
Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca has been named the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month for August.
New manager, new squad, new division. Maresca has also instilled a new style of play and re-established the mentality which has driven Leicester to a perfect month with four wins all secured by winners in the final 20 minutes of matches.
Maresca said: "I'm very happy, but as happens in football, you never reach something yourself, you need people behind you. First of all, the players, they are the most important and then the backroom staff for sure.
"We started two months ago - one month for pre-season and one month for the official competition. We started in the right way in terms of results and the way that we play. For sure, there are many things to improve but this is the right way."
Norwich City forward Gabriel Sara has been named the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month for August.
A brilliant August for the Norwich playmaker, especially considering he had appendix surgery in the summer. A goal and two assists don't tell the full story of his touch, vision and passing ability which created 17 chances in four games.
Sara said: "The whole team is part of this, we are not playing alone, we are always together.
"This is for my colleagues, my team, and for all the supporters. We are together and it's for us."
Player: Charlie Wyke, Wigan
Wigan Athletic striker Charlie Wyke has been named the Sky Bet League One Player of the Month for August.
Thankfully back to full health and fitness after last season's heart issues, Wyke benefitted from a full pre-season and spearheaded the Wigan attack superbly with five goals in as many games, including solo efforts at Derby and Bolton.
Wyke said: "I'm obviously delighted to win the award and personal accolades are always nice but I can't win this without the help of my team-mates and the Gaffer.
"We've had a good start to the season and the results in August have been a team effort. We now want to kick on after the international break."
Manager: Liam Manning, Oxford
Oxford United manager Liam Manning has been named the Sky Bet League One Manager of the Month for August.
Manning has blown away any pre-season pessimism following last season's struggles and not just with the style of play he preaches. Of their four wins from five games which sent Oxford top, two were at promotion favourites Derby and Barnsley.
Manning said: "It's great for the club. I actually think the title should change because it's not just about one person. The award reflects the hard work that everybody at the club puts in: the coaching staff, medical, sports science, recruitment, the kitman, chefs at the Training Ground: all of the staff who provide unbelievable support to the players.
"I was aware of the gap since the last time the club won it so it's nice to see Oxford United gain recognition once again and now it is up to us to build on what was a very promising first month."
Player: Jake Young, Swindon
Swindon Town forward Jake Young has been named the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month for August.
A dream month for Young who scored seven goals, including four in 24 minutes against Crawley, in just four games. Learning from Charlie Austin alongside him and forming a dynamic understanding with fellow loanee Dan Kemp, he added three assists.
Swindon manager Michael Flynn said: "It's a fantastic achievement for Jake to win the Sky Bet League Two Player of the Month in August, I'm sure he will appreciate all the help of his team-mates during this period and I look forward to seeing him score more goals for us in future!"
Young said: "I'm over the moon to win this award and I'm grateful to the team and staff at the club for the efforts that have allowed me to have such a good personal month.
"It's been an exciting start to the season for the club and we are all looking forward to taking our good form from August into the next run of games."
Manager: Graham Alexander, MK Dons
MK Dons manager Graham Alexander has been named the Sky Bet League Two Manager of the Month for August.
Turning around a relegated team when you are new to the club and have to assemble a squad quickly is no easy task, yet Alexander has the attacking Dons on top of League Two with 12 points and 12 goals to match from five games.
Alexander said: "It's testament to the results that the Club produced. It's always a Club effort. It's the players who go out there and perform but they are also backed up by a magnificent group of staff and the supporters, who have played their part as well.
"I'd never kid myself that it's about what I've done - it's a result of a group of people coming together to make sure we started off the season on the right foot. It's a credit to everyone."
