Jan Kirchhoff secured the PFA Fans' Player of the Month award for April today, after he edged out Andros Townsend and Daniel Sturridge in the poll.
The 25-year old secured 49.2% of the votes, beating Newcastle's Townsend, who won 42.9%, as well as Liverpool's Sturridge who won just 5.9%.
The award is certainly a deserved one for Kirchhoff, who after a horror debut at Tottenham has moved into the heart of midfield and not looked back, becoming one of Sunderland's most consistent performers.
The fact that he has ousted fan favourite and vice-captain Lee Cattermole from the defensive midfield role is a testament to the quality of Kirchhoff's performances, who was signed for a measly sum of £750,000 from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in January.
Speaking to the club's official website after securing the gong, Kirchhoff thanked the fans who he says have been "unbelievable since I arrived at Sunderland", adding that they are "simply amazing."
A deserved return for impressive performances
The six-foot-five midfielder also took the opportunity to thank his team-mates, saying that without them winning the award "would not have been possible". He also heralded the Black Cats as a "very special football club" and added that he is "honoured to accept the award on behalf of everyone."
The ex-Bayern man has played 950 minutes of football since his move to the North-East, with his switch from central defender to defensive midfielder arguably one of Sam Allardyce's best decisions as Sunderland boss.
Sunderland fans will hope that Kirchhoff continues to put in the kind of performance that has won him this award, as they look towards the final three games of the season in the hopes of securing maximum points in order to survive the drop once more.
Kirchhoff and his team-mates will be in action tomorrow at the Stadium of Light, as they face a Chelsea side that held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw on Monday night in a game that saw Leicester City crowed champions of the Premier League for the first time.