5 of the best irreplaceable Premier League players

Uniqueness and value of a football player, in modern day football, is hardly defined by the mere presence of him on the pitch. It is defined by what he does for the team and how well he does that on the pitch. It doesn't require the player to be a leader or an extra-ordinarily talented exponent, but players who play their part in a unique way also makes them indispensable to the side.

And these are players that can hardly be replaced by anyone else. Even if there are players who can replace them, they are few and far in between. Clubs know that losing these players can spell disaster and they, as a result, try their best to keep hold of them.

And we run the rule over Premier League players who are irreplaceable for their clubs.

#5 Michael Carrick

The newly appointed Manchester United skipper has, in recent years, become one of the most under-rated Premier League players. The manner in which he goes about his job sometimes makes people forget about his presence, but United struggle in his absence.

His ability to dictate the tempo of the play from deep midfield makes him a man who controls all the attacks that United make. While the Englishman's role was a bit different when he first joined the club back in 2006, Carrick took hold of the United midfield after the retirement of Paul Scholes and has often acted as a fulcrum in the heart of the park.

His composure in the defensive midfield area and the cheeky passing abilities make him a player United haven't been able to replace yet. He isn't the best tackler, but he uses his reading of the game and the intelligence to come away with balls in the midfield.

The fact that the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger were offloaded proves Carrick's uniqueness and although Ander Herrera is settling into the role, the Englishman is a different kind of a player altogether.

#4 Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho

Heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in the recent few days, little Phil Coutinho has probably been Liverpool's most important player in the last three seasons. And losing him will dent the Reds' title hopes massively, despite the fact that the campaign hasn't kicked off yet.

Jurgen Klopp may have signed Mohamed Salah from Roma and he does have players like Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi at his disposal, but the former Borussia Dortmund boss would know that Coutinho is a class above the rest.

The Brazilian did struggle with injuries last season, but performed very well when fit and always looked to pull off something out of nothing every time he had the ball. His low centre of gravity and directness make him an unwanted threat to opposition defences and his pace on the ball does the trick too.

With Neymar probably set to seal a sensational switch to Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool would have to do everything in their repertoire to keep hold of their prized asset.

#3 Harry Kane

Kane

What separates Harry Kane from a lot of the other top strikers in the world is his loyalty to the club he plays for- Tottenham Hotspur. His hunger, drive and determination to always score for his team make him an irreplaceable commodity to the North London Premier League giants.

The England superstar has won the Golden Boot accolade twice in just as many seasons and has every chance of doing that again. He boasts of a tally that consists of the most number of goals since the 2014-15 season and that would be enough to prove how important he has been.

He isn't the most flashy player, but the work that he does for Spurs always pays off and it would be next to impossible for a team to have a player like him on a tight wage budget scheme. He has played vital roles in helping Mauricio Pochettino's men third and second in two successive seasons.

With the new season on the horizon, Kane may well look to do the job he has done throughout the past two seasons- give others a chance early on and later, bang them in before the others score more.

#2 Alexis Sanchez

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Alexis Sanchez does like to score a lot of goals and he's certainly known for that trait, but another quality of his makes him unique - his wonderful work-ethic. And Arsenal would hate to lose a player of his quality this summer.

The Chilean has often carried Arsenal's goalscoring demands on his own back ever since joining from Barcelona in 2014 and he hasn't let anyone down. He dislodged Olivier Giroud from the striker's position up front and made it his own last season, scoring 22 times in the Premier League. His willingness to give his all for the cause of winning matches the trademark South American traits and Sanchez thrives on that. And that's a vital reason for as to why Arsenal fans adore him.

While rumours are linking him with moves to PSG, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Arsene Wenger will find it incredibly tough to sign a player of his calibre. His replacement may score some goals, but won't have as much determination as him.

#1 N'Golo Kante

Kante

When last season ended, N'Golo Kante and many others would have realised that he had won the Premier League title consecutively. The Frenchman wasn't there for the sake of it and was the most important player for both Leicester and Chelsea, when the clubs claimed their titles. And that isn't a joke.

Known for his ability to nick the ball off opposition forwards at will, Kante boasts of making around 2.7 interceptions per game and winning over 3 tackles per game; a stat that threatens many opposition sides. He played in the 3-4-3 formation that helped him break up play and circulate the ball forward to players like Eden Hazard, Pedro and Diego Costa and this style worked to perfection. When the forward three scored the goals, it was 26-year-old Kante who was the man responsible for it.

Already recognised as one of the best midfielders in the world, Kante deserves every bit of praise that he gets and opening Chelsea up in the heart of the park looks considerably easy in his worrying absence.