The Palace No. 9 won a hotly-contested supporters’ poll following his three assists in the opening four games of 2023/24.

Ayew not only set up Odsonne Edouard’s match-winner on the opening day of the season at Sheffield United, but also Joachim Andersen’s equaliser at Brentford, and the Edouard goal that kickstarted our dramatic comeback at Plymouth Argyle.

He accrued 29.7% of the supporters’ votes – ahead of second-placed Andersen (20.4%) and third-placed Ebere Eze (18.9%), with Jefferson Lerma (17.6%) not far behind – to claim the award.

“It’s been a while – a very long time since I’ve gotten a trophy as well!” Ayew smiled, speaking to Palace TV. “I’d just like to thank everyone – the fans, the club and the staff – for supporting me since Roy [Hodgson] has come in.

“He’s been really good to me and putting me into positions where I can express myself and feel more comfortable. He gives me the freedom to express myself and as a player that’s all you can ask for.

“Every game I try to tell myself that I need to be efficient and make something happen. At the moment, things are going well. It’s still the start of the season, there are still a lot of games to go, and hopefully it’ll continue.”