Over recent years, the Premier League has been the stepping stone to a number of world-class talents that have gone on to be considered amongst the very best in modern day football. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale are prime examples of players transformed from wonder kids into footballing superstars during their spells in England.
While all three players have since chosen to move to Span, the Premier League still plays host to some of the best talents in modern football.
We look at five of the current crop of world-class talents in the Premier League:
#1 Eden Hazard – Chelsea
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Hazard was already one of the most sought after youngsters in world football before arriving at Chelsea, but has since grown in stature. The 25-year-old is enjoying a stellar season so far, causing mayhem for opposition defences and scoring goals for fun.
An unexplainably disappointing campaign last time out was quickly brushed aside as the Belgian answered his critics with some exceptional performances since the start of this season. At just 25, Hazard has made nearly 500 appearances for club and country, scoring over 120 goals in the process. His low centre of gravity and incredible speed on the ball makes him one of the toughest players to defend against in the Premier League.
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If the Belgian can continue playing at this level and improve further, he is more than capable of joining an elite list of players. With clubs like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain more than interested to attain the Belgian’s signature, Chelsea will have to do very well to keep hold of their star man.
#2 Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool
Coutinho arrived at Liverpool as no more than a player to keep an eye out for. His impressive performances at Inter Milan did not go unnoticed as he made a move to the Premier League with the Reds. Liverpool will consider the £8.5 Million that they paid for his services to be a bargain, considering the player he has turned into.
Flourishing under the Klopp regime, Coutinho is enjoying a fantastic start to the season. He has been provided with more attacking freedom in the past year, on which he is thoroughly thriving. Like many of his teammates, his ability to play in any of the attacking positions has been instrumental in Liverpool’s solid attacking threat this season.
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His talent of both making and scoring goals is almost second to none in the Premier League, while he is also no stranger to scoring the spectacular. The 24-year-old’s rise in recent months has got some of the biggest clubs in the world to monitor him closely as rumours of his departure have already begun to surface.
Coutinho has also managed to break into a very talented Brazilian first-team squad, where he also continues to impress.
# 3 Sergio Aguero – Manchester City
Sergio Aguero has undoubtedly established a reputation as being one of the deadliest strikers in the world. The Argentine is yet to have a below par season since arriving at City and has crossed the 25-goal mark in four of his last five seasons.
He has also been a vital part of all the success that the Sky Blues have tasted in recent years, including that memorable goal he scored to win the title on the last day of the season.
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His lightning speed, ability to drift past defenders and lethal finishing ability cannot be matched by any other player in the Premier League. His ability to drop deeper and assist in build-up play, rather than just remaining in the striker’s position makes him one of the most complete forwards in modern football.
The 28-year-old has been a prolific goal scorer throughout his career, netting a goal every other game on average. Aguero has also been equally impressive when representing his country and has scored 33 goals in only 79 appearances so far.
The striker has made it quite clear that he intends to move back to his boyhood club Independiente before retiring, but it will be interesting to see if he remains a City player until then.
#4 David de Gea – Manchester United
David de Gea received his fair share of criticisms when he had just arrived at Manchester United to fill in the slot that Edwin van der Sar left vacant. Despite a successful spell with Atletico Madrid, de Gea struggled to convince the Old Trafford faithful that he was the man for the job. Numerous mistakes and disappointing form seemed to mar the then young goalkeeper, but the Spaniard has since moved on from that to become one of the best stoppers in the game.
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The 26-year-old has been his team’s saviour when they struggled in recent years, producing some memorable saves in the process. He has also drastically improved his aerial ability in the box, while his excellent shot-stopping and distribution attributes puts him amongst the best keepers in the world. Despite English football hosting impressive talents like Hugo Lloris, Petr Cech, Thibaut Courtois, Tom Heaton and Jack Butland, de Gea still remains the best keeper that the Premier League has to offer.
Apart from winning a number of individual awards in recent seasons, de Gea has also managed to break into a very competitive Spain squad and establish himself as the number one choice ahead of Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina.
# 5 Kevin de Bruyne – Manchester City
Kevin de Bruyne has come a long way since playing for Genk in the Belgian Pre-League to becoming one of the hottest property in football. The City midfielder has been made to work hard to get to where he is right now, after being discarded by Chelsea only a few years ago. After a couple of highly successful seasons in Germany, de Bruyne returned to the Premier League with Manchester City and has not failed to impress ever since.
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He possesses incredible ability in dead ball situations, while also having a good eye to find just the right pass in open play. A steady head in front of goal with a venomous shot on him, de Bruyne has the knack of racking up the goals as well as assists.
At 25, he is already established as a regular for his national side and is quickly becoming one of the best attacking midfielders that world football has to offer. de Bruyne has already become City’s most important midfielders in the eyes of Pep Guardiola after his performances have merited heaps of praise.
