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Forwards are the most praised assets in football these days. They get most of the attention and glory. Some of the most celebrated footballers in the world like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Salah, Luis Suarez, Robert Lewandowski, Sergio Aguero, and Harry Kane are all strikers.
Almost all the teams in Europe’s top-flight leagues have at least 2 quality strikers at their disposal. As we have seen it in the past, world-class players like Alvaro Morata, Michy Batshuayi, Theo Walcott, and Roberto Firmino played the role of backup strikers. More often than not, they end up warming the bench.
Without much ado, let’s take a look at the top 5 underused backup forwards in the world this season.
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Honourable Mentions
Danny Welbeck, Arsenal
Fernando Torres, Atletico Madrid
Kevin Gameiro, Atletico Madrid
#5 Fernando Llorente, Tottenham Hotspur
Fernando Llorente was once a prolific forward in La Liga. He has scored 118 goals for Athletic Bilbao and 27 for Juventus. He was a part of the Spain squad that lifted the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2012 European Championship.
Ever since his move to Tottenham Hotspur, the Spaniard has been playing as second fiddle to Harry Kane. The 33-year-old has made only 14 appearances for the club and 13 of them have come from the bench. This season, the forward has mustered only 217 minutes of Premier League action.
Last season, Llorente scored 15 goals for Swansea and helped them retain their Premier League status. Known for his physicality and aerial ability, Llorente is an excellent goal scorer and an effective target-man. He is a wily forward and deserves more playing time. But you can't really help it when you have Harry Kane scoring goals for fun, can you?
#4 Sandro Wagner, Bayern Munich
The Germany international is one of the most popular forwards in Bundesliga. Having risen to prominence with TSG Hoffenheim, he signed for Bayern Munich during January this season.
Ever since his move to Bayern, Wagner has played only 392 minutes of football. The 30-year-old forward is known for his direct approach, strength, and aerial prowess. At 6 ft 4 in, he is physically strong and his work rate is phenomenal.
With a goal every 78 minutes in Bayern colours, he is definitely a player to watch out for in Russia. However, he will always be a second-choice striker at Bayern as long a Lewandowski stays.
Bayern have pretty much wrapped up the Bundesliga and will lift the title with a win this weekend, so Wagner could get more minutes on the pitch after that as Heynckes will want to use Lewandowksi for the DFB Pokal and the Champions League.
#3 Paco Alcacer, Barcelona
The 24-year-old moved to Barcelona during the summer of 2016 but has endured a tough time at the Camp Nou ever since. Paco Alcacer made a name for himself in La Liga at Valencia when he scored 43 goals in three full seasons at the club.
Ever since his move to the Catalan giants, Alcacer has made only 13 La Liga starts so far. He has produced some impressive performances, however. The presence of Luis Suarez and the arrival of Ousmane Dembele worked against his first team opportunities.
He was never given a consistent run with the team. Alcacer isn't a player like a Luis Suarez or a Lionel Messi with good footwork and perhaps that has worked against him. He is more of a poacher and should move to a club where he'll find regular game time.
#2 Olivier Giroud, Chelsea
Olivier Giroud is one of the most underrated footballers in Europe. The Frenchman moved to Arsenal in 2012, after a brilliant season in Ligue 1 with Montpellier. In his first four seasons at the Emirates, Giroud made 107 starts for Arsenal and scored 57 goals.
He is a hard-working striker, known for his neat link-up play. His first touch is quite exquisite and that is one of the reasons why the Arsenal fans loved him despite his inconsistent goal return.
The last two seasons did not go well for the Frenchman. He wasn't the preferred striker during the 2016/17 season yet he managed to score 12 goals. He fell behind Lacazette and Sanchez in the pecking order at the Emirates earlier this season and a move beckoned.
He moved to Chelsea in January but has made only two Premier League starts so far. Alvaro Morata is Conte’s first choice striker and once again, Giroud is spending most of his time on the bench. He is too good to play the role of a super-sub and it is it not going to change anytime soon.
#1 Marcus Rashford, Manchester United
Marcus Rashford is one of the best young forwards in world football at the moment. Rashford made his Manchester United debut in 2016 and was an instant success at the Old Trafford. He scored five and assisted two more in his debut season.
While the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic reduced his first-team chances last season, United spent big money on Romelu Lukaku who is the preferred choice up top this time. Most of Rashford's appearances this season have come off the bench.
Rashford has made only 14 starts this season and has often been used in a wide role. Though his performances have been impressive, he could be a better option if used up top. Lukaku has done a fine job and we don't begrudge him for that, but Rashford is someone who should be starting games regularly and in his prefered role.
