5 players who have revived their careers this season

“You cannot judge a man on one swallow” – Sam Allardyce hilariously mixed-up the idiom ‘One swallow does not a summer make’ when speaking about Jan Kirchoff’s disaster of a debut against Tottenham Hotspur, where he conceded a penalty and deflected a shot into his own net.Kirchoff’s 31 minute cameo did not do much to endear the former Bayern Munich defender to the Sunderland fans, but Allardyce’s sentiment is still valid. It is easy to denigrate the average footballer when the chips are down, but only the special footballer can return from the footballing wilderness.Here are 5 footballers who have revived their floundering careers this season:

#1 Angel di Maria

Angel di Maria’s form has spurred Paris St. Germain to the top of Ligue 1

Manchester United paid a British record transfer fee of £59.7 million for Angel di Maria’s services. The Argentine enjoyed a bight start to his Old Trafford career, but it went south after a hamstring injury, which meant a complete loss of form that kept Di Maria out of a United side that was struggling to be creative.

The 27 year old struggled to adapt to Louis van Gaal’s tactics, and left Manchester United for Paris St. Germain in the summer, saying “I made a very good start and then I got injured. Things weren’t quite working for me and Van Gaal changed my position. It’s difficult to adapt to Van Gaal. I had a number of flare ups with him.”

Having scored only 4 goals for United throughout the season, eyebrows were raised when Laurent Blanc authorized a £46 million fee to entice him to France. However Di Maria has repaid his manager’s faith in kind, as he’s been one of the best players in Ligue 1 this season.

With only half the season gone, Di Maria has been involved in 24 goals this season, having scored 12 along the way as PSG have a staggering 21 point lead at the top of the table at the end of January. The quality of Di Maria’s strikes have been wonderful as well, the Argentine’s stunning first time volley against Angers and his mazing solo goal in the League Cup last week against Toulouse revealing the depth of his quality.

With Manchester United struggling at the top end of the pitch, the Old Trafford faithful would do well to look away from France, where the player they were glad to be rid off is tearing up Ligue 1.

#2 Gareth Bale

The Santiago Bernabeu has witnessed Gareth Bale’s trademark celebration far more often this season

The nadir of Gareth Bale’s Real Madrid career came exactly a year ago, as the Welsh winger was booed by a significant portion of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful for missing a sitter against Real Sociedad side, with James Rodriguez better placed for a tap in. Bale had already cultivated a reputation for being selfish, with Cristiano Ronaldo being visibly frustrated earlier in the 2014/15 season when Bale eschewed the chance to pass to the Portuguese star.

As the summer came around, there were calls for Bale to be sold, as despite a decent statistical record, the forward’s relationships with the Madrid fans had visibly, and audibly frayed. The world’s most expensive player only scored at a rate of once every three games last season, while his lack of synergy with his fellow forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema meant that he failed to assist as much as well.

In contrast, James Rodriguez took to Madrid like a duck to water, as the Real Madrid faithful quickly began to annoint him as a fan favourite, which increased the negative spotlight on Bale. However, the tables have turned this season, with Bale being universally acknowledged to have had a great season, while Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodiguez have both experienced a downturn in form.

Bale has been one of the few bright spots for Madrid this season, as the Welsh winger has been involved in 24 goals in 17 appearances this season, having racked up 13 goals and 11 assists along the way. Such has been Bale’s influence this season, that Zinedine Zidane was quick to reassure fans about Bale’s future after the sacking of Rafa Benitez.

The boo-boys have been silenced.

#3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Borussia Dortmund’s resurgence this season owes much to Mkhitaryan’s midfield magic

Henrikh Mkhitaryan came to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2013, with the weight of a €25 million fee on his back. The Armenian arrived from Shaktar Donetsk as a replacement for the departe Mario Gotze, but failed to shine in his first season. Ahead of the 2014/15 season, the Yellow Wall hoped Mkhitaryan would thrive, but the 27 year old failed miserably in Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge.

While most of the Dortmund side failed to perform upto expectations last year, Mkhitaryan was particularly poor, as the Armenian scored a measly 3 goals in the entirety of the Bundesliga last season. Juventus came calling in the summer, hoping to purchase Mkhitaryan as backup for their midfield options.

However, Thomas Tuchel held on to the Armenian, and Mkhitaryan has positively flourished this season. Tuchel’s tactical overhaul of the Dortmund side has seen Mkhitaryan move to the right wing, where the 27 year old has been in fine form, with 16 goals and a European high of 20 assists in all competitions for the Schwarzgelben.

The Armenian completely credits his manager for his development into a world-class midfielder, saying “He [Thomas Tuchel] told me in our very first conversation that he could lift me to a world-class level. At first, I didn’t necessarily believe him but he’s been true to his word and I’m thankful for that. He gives you the confidence you need. He talks a lot with the players and gives good advice. I’m really happy to be working alongside him.”

If Juventus are to pry him away this summer, they’ll have to break the bank for Mkhitaryan, a deserved reward for the Armenian’s resurgence.

#4 Joel Campbell

Joel Campbell has come to Arsenal’s rescue this season

“Get out while you can!” – After Stoke City’s 3-2 victory over Arsenal last season, this throwaway comment aimed at Campbell spoke volumes about the contrast in which the Costa Rican’s career was viewed, as the fans viewed him as a promising player while Arsene Wenger had yet to start him in a single Premier League game.

A disappointing loan spell to Villareal followed, where Campbell scored just once for The Yellow Submarines in 16 appearances, while failing to notch up a single assist. When Campbell returned to the Arsenal squad this summer, he was the eighth choice option on the wings, and was widely expected to be sold.

However, Arsene Wenger refused to let him go, as he smelt another Coquelin-esque rise in the offing, saying “I refused to let him go because I saw something in him that gives you belief, because of his attitude. I explained the situation to him and said: ‘Let's have a go and see where we stand in January.”

Come January, Campbell is a fan favourite, as his work-rate, reminiscent of Alexis Sanchez, has endeared him to the Emirates faithful, while his tendency to pop up with important contributions has not gone unnoticed. The most notable was his assist to Olivier Giroud in Arsenal’s must win encounter against Olympiakos in the Champions League, where the Costa Rican held off three defenders before threading an eye-of-the-needle pass for Giroud to score.

With Arsenal suffering their annual injury crisis, Campbell is one of the first options on the wing now, a far cry from his situation a few months ago. Campbell did well to not heed that angry Arsenal supporter.

#5 Javier Hernandez

Javier Hernandez has been in prolific form for Bayer Leverkusen this season

A ‘1% chance of playing’ – those were the odds that Louis van Gaal gave Javier Hernandez as the Mexican returned to Manchester United at the start of the summer and rescue his floundering Red Devils career. A loan spell to Real Madrid in the 2014/15 season ended up with a decent return, but Van Gaal wasn’t too keen on the forward, and told him as much.

There weren’t too many takes for the Mexican forward, which meant that Bayer Leverkusen’s £9 million bid was accepted by Louis van Gaal, in one of the worst transfer blunds of his career. Hernandez’ subsequent scoring form has only served to place a harsh spotlight on a misfiring Manchester United, who have struggled in front of goal this season.

Chicarito has thrived in the Bundesliga, as Bayer Leverkusen play to his strengths, allowing the forward to be at the tip of their attacks, as his characteristic runs behind the defence have made a return. The Mexican has scored a stunning 21 goals from only 27 games in all competitions this season, and has started more than 12 games for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

The forward underlined the change in his career, crediting his regularity in the playing eleven for his form, saying “What I was missing in the last two or three years, it was like I was playing sometimes and then returning to the bench. But now that I am playing most of the game or almost all of my games here in my club, that's what I need.”

“Because people sometimes think the confidence is with goals, but I don't think like that. I think confidence is to play day-by-day, to get rhythm.”