Phoenix star voted player of the month

Free-scoring Wellington Phoenix star Ulises Davila has downplayed his individual achievements after picking up the PFA Player of the Month award, saying he is simply happy to contribute to the team’s overall success.

The Mexican has been a revelation for the Phoenix this season, seamlessly filling the void left by departing Roy Krishna by scoring 10 goals and registering three assists in his first 15 A-League games.

Not bad for a player who had never scored double figures in a season before joining the Phoenix and is more accustomed to setting up his team-mates than putting the ball in the back of the net himself.

‘‘I’m happy for the goals. I always try to score and get the assists but I also try to win the game because that’s the point of the team,’’ Davila, a 28-year-old attacking midfielder, said. ‘‘I’m not upset when [I don’t score], I just try to do my best. If I can score then it’s perfect and I’m happy for that but it’s not in my mind to fight [for the Golden Boot] or to be one of the top scorers.’’

Davila was announced yesterday as the PFA Player of the Month for December, an accolade team-mate Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi said was richly deserved.

‘‘He’s brought the goals and assists that we need. For me he’s the best player in the league at the moment and rightly so he has been awarded the player of the month award,’’ Hudson-Wihongi said.

Although Stefan Marinovic stole the headlines with a series of sensational stoppage time saves, Davila produced another influential performance in Friday’s narrow 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets, setting up Jaushua Sotirio’s opener with a precision pass before scoring the matchwinner himself.

Davila is fourth on the Golden Boot standings, trailing Adam Le Fondre (14 goals), Jamie Maclaren (13) and Besart Berisha (11).

Davila acknowledged the bye has come at a good time for the Phoenix following a slight dip in form, their unconvincing win over the Jets following a shock loss to Brisbane Roar.

The week off will allow Alex Rufer and David Ball to fully recover from their injuries and give the team a chance to recharge ahead of a difficult run of fixtures starting with Perth Glory on February 7.