Albirex Niigata’s Ilhan Fandi named SPL Young Player of the Month in July

Ilhan Fandi picked up his first Singapore Premier League (SPL) Young Player of the Month award since joining Japanese side Albirex Niigata after netting six goals last month.

The 19-year old is currently this season’s top local scorer with 12 goals. He also picked up July’s Goal of the Month award for his stunning overhead kick effort against Balestier Khalsa on Jul 17, the game in which he scored his first career hat-trick.

Ilhan’s teammate Kodai Tanaka also picked up the SPL Player of the Month award. The 23-year-old hotshot maintained his red-hot form throughout July, bagging six goals and two assists.

He was also instrumental in the White Swan’s 4-2 victory over reigning champions Lion City Sailors on Jul 29, tallying two goals and one assist in the game.

With 22 goals for the season, Kodai is now trailing top scorer Boris Kopitovic, who plays for Tampines Rovers, by just one goal.

The July Coach of the Month award was awarded to Geylang International’s Noor Ali. The former Singapore international, who is now into his fifth year with the Eagles, led the team to four wins and one draw in five games in July.

It included a 5-0 win over Tanjong Pagar United and an impressive 1-1 draw with Lion City Sailors. The Eagles still sit in sixth place in the table with 24 points, but trail third-place Tanjong Pagar by just five points.