Ferguson and Berbatov bag January gongs

Ferguson is certainly no stranger to the award and wins it for an unprecedented 25th time in his distinguished career, after seeing his side pick up wins at home to Stoke City and Birmingham City and away at West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool, as well as claiming a hard-fought point away against Tottenham Hotspur.

Ferguson’s Manchester United teams are renowned for building title-winning momentum after the turn of the year, and this season would appear to be no different after they took 13 points from a possible 15 to finish the month in a commanding position.

Bulgarian marksman Berbatov, the leading scorer in the Barclays Premier League this season, immediately picked up where he left off in 2010 with five more goals in January to take his tally to 19.

He struck a stunning hat-trick as United eased past Birmingham City 5-0 at Old Trafford, and then scored twice to help his side complete a trademark comeback to win 3-2 at Blackpool, having been two goals down at half time.

It is the first time that Berbatov has won the award as a Manchester United player, and the second time in his career after sharing the April 2007 Barclays Player of the Month award with former Tottenham Hotspur strike partner Robbie Keane.

The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel that includes representatives from football’s governing bodies, the media and fans.