5 players who have disappointed so far this season

The football season is well and truly underway, and it has brought to us a lot of twists and turns already. Liverpool sit on top of the Premier League table and are unbeaten so far, both Real Madrid and Barcelona are yet to find their usual rhythm, and most recently, Jose Mourinho returned to England as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur.

The 2019/20 season so far has not disappointed the fans in any way - however, the same cannot be said for certain players who have heavily underperformed this campaign. While the likes of Sadio Mane and Robert Lewandowski are tearing up their league, there are footballers from whom we expected more, but who have let us down so far. Here, we take a look at five players who have been disappointing so far this season.

5. Fabio Quagliarella - Sampdoria

Sampdoria's main man has disappointed so far

Last season, the 37-year-old Fabio Quagliarella made headlines as he finished the Serie A season as the top goalscorer in the league with 26 goals. The Italian international beat the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lorenzo Insigne for that prize, and was on fire throughout the season.

Of course, no one expected Quagliarella to be as prolific this time around, given his age and the arrival of a new manager in Claudio Ranieri. However, the striker has been horrific this season, netting only one goal in the Serie A so far while looking like a shadow of himself from his previous season. The club has lost only one game since Ranieri came, but the performances of their star striker leave much to be desired.

Quagliarella has yet to find the back of the net since his solitary goal during the first week of September, and his dream of playing for Italy in the Euros next year seems bleak right now.

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4. Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is a shadow of his former self

While fellow new signing Romelu Lukaku has been off to a brilliant start with Inter, Alexis Sanchez is a far cry from the terrifying winger he used to be during his Arsenal and Barcelona days.

Things have not gone the Chilean's way so far this season on his season-long loan from Manchester United. He has made only four appearances and was sent off in his first start for the club. Although Sanchez scored one goal for his new team, the red card he received was a source of annoyment for his manager Antonio Conte.

Immediately after his suspension, the former Barcelona star suffered an unfortunate foot injury during the international break, which is now predicted to keep him out of action till 2020. It remains to be seen whether the talented forward can ever get back to his best now.

3. Krzysztof Piatek - AC Milan

Piatek's performances do not match his potential

Where did it all go so wrong for AC Milan? A club whose name is etched in the history of football, the Italian club currently sit 14th in Serie A. They have already sacked manager Marco Giampaolo, replacing him with Stefano Pioli who now has the tough task of getting this club back on track.

One of the main reasons the Italian giants are struggling this season has been due to the form of their main striker, Krzysztof Piatek. Signed in January for £30m, the striker had a brilliant start to life at the San Siro, as he netted six goals in his first five games for the club. The player was signed as a long term replacement for Gonzalo Higuain, and the initial signs were hopeful. However, the Polish forward has had a major dip in form, scoring only three goals in 12 appearances while not looking confident in front of goal.

Due to his sudden inability to find the back of the net, AC Milan are suffering. Piatek is only 24, and the club will be hopeful their main man is back to his best soon, but there is no question that he has majorly disappointed this season.

2. Phillipe Coutinho - Bayern Munich

The creative midfielder needs to revive his career fast before the team gives up on him

At Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho was one of the best midfielders in the world. He could score from 25 yards, pass the ball accurately to any of his teammates on the pitch, and controlled the game extremely well. Since his ill-fated move to Barcelona, however, the magician seems to have lost his touch.

Barcelona and Coutinho did not get on, and manager Ernesto Valverde shipped the Brazilian international to German giants Bayern Munich. It was a chance for Coutinho to revive his career, but so far, he has spectacularly failed at the same.

Although he started life at Bayern well, his performances over the past several weeks have been abysmal. He was described as 'invisible' by former midfielder Dietmar Hamann in Bayern's 5-1 shock defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, a performance which led to the sacking of manager Nico Kovac. Coutinho is looking clueless on the pitch at the moment, and as a result, he has been relegated to the bench.

If he hopes to revive his career, the midfielder needs to find his rhythm soon. As of now, he is costing Bayern approximately £563,000 per game and seems like a very bad investment.

1. Luka Jovic - Real Madrid

The Serbian international has been the biggest flop of the season so far

After his brilliant season for Eintracht Frankfurt last season, Real Madrid spent a whopping £53m to bring Luka Jovic to the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid fans rejoiced at his signing, as the striker seemed to have all the traits to be a great Galactico - he is only 21, is athletic and possesses good strength for hold up play, with a good eye for goal and loves the club. However, the start to his Real Madrid career has been nothing short of disastrous.

Having scored 27 goals in all competitions last season in Germany, Jovic has netted only one goal in La Liga so far. Although manager Zinedine Zidane has been rotating between him and Karim Benzema up front, the Serbian forward has done little to prove to his manager that he deserves to be a starter. Jovic seems to be lacking in confidence and is not playing with the same swagger as he was last season.

Currently, the striker has been sidelined due to a hip problem. As mentioned above, the player is still only 21, so he has all the chance of succeeding at Madrid - but as of now, the fans are unhappy and his performances leave a lot to be desired.