London, Jan 16 (IANS): Queens Park Rangers (QPR) forward Charlie Austin has been named the English Premier League player of the month for December which makes him the fifth striker in succession to bag the award in the current season.
The London club have had problems this season and are in a fight to avoid the drop to a lower division.
The 25-year-old, though, has been the brightest spark in the field for them scoring as many as 13 goals in all competitions including five in as many games in December, reports the dailymail.co.uk
Austin edged past the likes of Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and John Terry, Spurs striker Harry Kane and Arsenal and Manchester City playmakers Santi Cazorla and David Silva to take home the award.
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini won the manager of the month accolade for December.