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It has been a surreal Premier League season in more ways than one. Following a belated start to the season owing to the late conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign, many top teams and players have appeared off the pace.
Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool have stuttered in their title defence, having already endured two defeats. Manchester City had an indifferent start to their Premier League campaign before recently rediscovering their mojo.
Five Premier League players who have exceeded all expectations in 2020-21
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a prolific goal-scorer, has struggled to find the back of the net in the Premier League this season. The same has also been true for Manchester United teenager Mason Greenwood and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling, who have largely underwhelmed in the 2020-21 Premier League.
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However, a few players have managed to exceed expectations in the English top flight this season, some of them doing so in new surroundings. On that note, let us have a look at five such players.
#5 James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
After a rather underwhelming 2019-20 campaign, where he had eight goal contributions, James Ward-Prowse has equalled that tally in only 17 Premier League games this season.
The 26-year-old has impressed with his set-piece prowess in the 2020-21 Premier League, scoring a pair of them in Southampton's thrilling 4-3 win over Aston Villa to earn praise from his manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. He said:
"It’s no coincidence he is our captain. He’s our role model for what we stand for – he’s an unbelievable fighter for the team. When he gets a chance around the box he is unbelievable. I am happy for him to have scored two but also because he supplied an assist for the first goal and for the one disallowed by VAR. On free kicks, he is amazing, and he is getting better."
Ward-Prowse covered the most distance (396 km) by any player in the Premier League last year, averaging an impressive 11.6 km per game.
#4 Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
Matty Cash made his name with Nottingham Forest in the Championship before making a move to Aston Villa in the summer. Suffice to say, the 23-year-old has flourished in his debut campaign in the Premier League.
Cash has impressed with his ability to maraud down the right flank and transition into an all-action right-winger to shore up his team's attack.
Although he is yet to score a goal in his debut season in the Premier League, Cash has already formed a formidable full-back partnership with Matt Targett, helping Aston Villa to the top half of the league table, ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal.
Villa manager Dean Smith is all praise for the versatile Cash, saying in this regard:
"I've come across him when he was wide as a wide right player but, again, he's a really enthusiastic person, a real team player but moved to right-back for Forest last season and was exceptional. Tactically he's capable of adapting very quickly. It shows me he's got the tenacity and the want to change and learn. He's gone from a wide right player to dropping back to develop his defensive skills pretty well."
#3 Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur)
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been a revelation since his arrival at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
He did not take much time to hit his stride at his new club, particularly standing out in Spurs' impressive Premier League win over Manchester City.
Hojbjerg arrived at Tottenham Hotspur with a 'nasty' reputation of breaking up opposition play - he won possession more times than any other player in the Premier League last season.
Endeared by these attributes, Jose Mourinho - a manager who doesn't mind winning ugly - landed the Danish midfielder at high-flying Spurs.
Hojbjerg has brought much-needed steel to the Spurs midfield. Although he does not score too many goals or produce assists to hog the limelight - blame it on Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min for that - the Dane is becoming an indispensable player under Mourinho.
Hojbjerg's form and his ability to do more of the 'dirty work' could be pivotal in Spurs winning their first Premier League title this season.
#2 Wesley Fofana (Leicester City)
After arriving from French club St. Etienne this season, Wesley Fofana has impressed in his new surroundings at Leicester City.
The 20-year-old Frenchman's arrival has massively improved the stuttering Leicester defence and taken the pressure off Caglar Soyuncu.
Fofana is already being heralded as one of the signings of the Premier League season despite his young age.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has described the player as 'colossal' following his impact at the Premier League club, saying in this regard:
“We knew he was a top player for someone so young, and when we spoke to people out there and seeing all the clips, you could see he has anticipation as a defender, he has speed, he has aggression, he defends forward, so all the attributes we like here."
#1 Curtis Jones (Liverpool)
Curtis Jones impressed in his maiden Premier League season in 2019-20, scoring a goal in six appearances to play a small part in Liverpool winning their first English league title in three decades.
This season, the 19-year-old midfielder has already benefitted from increased game-time, having made 11 appearances in the Premier League and four in the Champions League, impressing fans and critics alike with performances that belie his young years.
Against Ajax, Jones scored the winner to seal Liverpool's berth in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. In the process, he became the third-youngest goal-scorer for the club in the competition.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently said about the player:
"Curtis, I have to say is just a proper, proper part of this squad, which is really already an achievement, if you want. Nothing you want to tell your grandkids (about), because if it's the best thing you ever did in your life, it's not so nice. But for the age group he is in, it's massive."
Jones may not have opened his Premier League account yet but could be a key player for the club in the years to come.
