Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Barclays Player of the Month for a second successive time.

The Portugal international had a fruitful end to 2006 by scoring seven goals in six league games.

Ronaldo scored twice against each of Aston Villa, Wigan and Reading, and helped cement United's place at the top of the table, ahead of Chelsea.

He becomes only the third player in Premiership history to win consecutive awards and the first in almost a decade since Dennis Bergkamp in August and September 1997.

Robbie Fowler is the only other player to achieve this feat in December 1995 and January 1996.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce took the Manager of the Month award. He saw his side improve their prospects of European football with five successive victories in December.