Eight players on course to prove us all wrong this season

Every season, a number of high-profile footballers tend to struggle for a variety of reasons.

Some suffer serious injuries, and some fall out with managers. Others are shipped out on loan, seemingly to never return.

These players are usually written off as failures. But sometimes, they are able to unexpectedly turn around their fortunes, breaking back into the first-team picture at their clubs.

We’ve already seen a few examples of this in the early stages of 2017/18, and the eight players listed below appear to be on course to prove us all wrong.

So who are they?

1. Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw’s dream move from Southampton to Manchester United in 2014 quickly turned into a nightmare. After an inconsistent first season at Manchester United, the defender broke his leg a month into the 2015/16 campaign and didn’t play for 11 months.

His return generated excitement, but form issues saw talk of a troublesome working relationship with Jose Mourinho emerge, and Shaw struggled for fitness and minutes. He made only 38 appearances in all competitions across the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns.

However, Mourinho appears to have put his faith in Shaw during the early stages of the new campaign, handing him five Premier League starts so far. The 23-year-old’s renaissance was put on hold due to a concussion suffered on international duty, but Shaw finally looks like a viable option for club and country again.

The left-back even scored the first competitive goal of his career in United’s opening weekend victory over Leicester City at Old Trafford.

2. Toby Alderweireld

After establishing himself as one of best centre-backs in Europe during his first two seasons at Tottenham, a contract dispute combined with a serious hamstring injury saw Toby Alderweireld lose his place in Tottenham’s starting line-up in November last year.

And not unlike Shaw’s aforementioned situation, the anticipation surrounding Alderweireld’s return to fitness soon dispersed as it became clear Mauricio Pochettino was not as keen on the Belgian as he once was; Alderweireld finished the 2017/18 Premier League campaign with only 14 starts.

Consequently, the 29-year-old was expected to leave Spurs over the summer, with Manchester United mooted as his most likely destination. But a deal failed to materialise and Pochettino surprisingly included Alderweireld in the starting XI to face Fulham last month – he has started every league game since.

Pochettino has given Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Mousa Dembele – the latter players were also linked with departures – a fresh start, and Alderweireld is prospering most of all.

3. Mariano Diaz

Mariano Diaz is arguably the only player on this list who enjoyed last season from start to finish, but he is included for good reason.

The striker made eight senior appearances for Real Madrid before being sold to Olympique Lyonnais in the summer of 2017. At the time it seemed his dream of playing regularly for Madrid was over, but a brilliant season in France changed that.

Diaz found the net 21 times across all competitions for Lyon last season, which made Madrid re-think their original decision to sell him. He moved back to the Bernabeu just days before the transfer window closed, claiming the newly-vacant No. 7 shirt following Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit.

His second debut for Madrid came as a substitute against AS Roma in the Champions League, scoring a stunning goal to put the hosts 3-0 up. It’s early days, but Diaz could prove to be a key player for Julen Lopetegui’s side.

4. Renato Sanches

There have been few trajectories as dramatic as that of Renato Sanches, the wonderkid who earned a move from Benfica to Bayern Munich following a string of stunning displays for Portugal at Euro 2016.

A disastrous first season in Germany saw the midfielder shipped out on loan to Swansea City last season, where he hardly resembled a footballer, playing only 703 minutes across the entire campaign. He returned to Bayern in the summer with little hope of resurrecting his career with the European giants.

But Sanches has subverted expectations, finishing a wonderful team move to score at his former club Benfica in the Champions League – drawing applause even from the home fans – and making his first Bundesliga start in 19 months against Augsburg this week.

After the 1-1 draw, the 21-year-old said: “I have more confidence. The coach [Niko Kovac] gives me confidence. He told me before the season to keep working because my moment will come and I’d get my chance. It’s given me the confidence to play for a big club like Bayern.” (Via Bundesliga.com.)

5. Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley has already made more Premier League appearances this season (5) than he did last term (2). The midfielder joined Chelsea from Everton in January but arrived after undergoing surgery on a serious hamstring problem.

Though he made his debut in the same month he signed for Chelsea, playing him too often was likely deemed a risk and Barkley struggled for minutes under Antonio Conte, who was on his way out. But things have changed under new boss Maurizio Sarri.

Barkley is now being rotated in Chelsea’s midfield three, aiding the introduction of summer arrivals Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic by providing the Blues’ new-look line-up with some much-needed Premier League experience.

It’s worth noting his performances haven’t been particularly great yet. There is still a long way to go for Barkley if he wants to become a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, but he is certainly giving Sarri something to think about.

6. Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge’s Liverpool career has been a strange one, full of memorable moments, fine runs of form, but hindered by injuries and a lack of silverware. His stay at Anfield looked like coming to an end last season when he joined West Bromwich Albion on loan, only to suffer yet another injury and taste the disappointment of relegation.

But Liverpool’s decision not to sign a back-up centre-forward for Roberto Firmino appears to have given Sturridge a new lease of life. After an impressive pre-season, the striker has been used fleetingly but effectively, scoring the opening goals against Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League and Chelsea in the EFL Cup, his 11th goal in as many games in the competition.

After the PSG match, Jurgen Klopp said of Sturridge: “I told him before the game, I’ve never seen him – since I’ve [been here] – as fit as he is at the moment. And he used that fitness. He was all over the park.”

That’s what the 29-year-old must continue to do in order to challenge for a place in the line-up. But even if he isn’t a regular this season, Sturridge is certainly set to be a more useful member of the squad that in previous campaigns.

7. David Luiz

Having completely fallen out of favour under the previous regime, David Luiz could have easily manufactured an exit from Chelsea in the summer. But he decided to stay and see how things would turn out under with a new man at the helm, and it looks like the Brazilian made the right decision.

Luiz has started all six of Chelsea’s Premier League games so far this season and is already fulfilling the responsibilities of a key role in Sarri’s set-up, bringing the ball out from the back and helping the Blues keep possession in deep areas.

The 31-year-old has always been something of a controversial figure, but his inconsistencies and sporadic moments of madness are currently being outdone by his defensive and footballing ability, attributes that have seen him remain a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge, even when he is out of the team.

He is now very much back in the picture and will be hoping to play a big part in any success they enjoy this season.

8. Erik Lamela

This is a bit of a strange one, because Lamela had already returned to fitness at the end of last season and was beginning to look like an important member of Tottenham’s squad again; the Argentine scored twice in the final day victory over Leicester in the Premier League.

But recent reports claim Spurs offered Lamela a move back to Italy with Inter Milan as recently as March. And regardless of his strong end to last season, his two-goal display against Leicester was an all-too-rare moment in yet another campaign disrupted by injuries.

This year, however, already feels different. The Argentinian has already gotten over his customary early-season injury and made a case to start regularly. He has scored in back-t0-back Premier League games against Liverpool and Brighton respectively and found the net in the EFL Cup win against Watford.

If he can stay fit, Lamela – who signed a new long-term contract in the summer – could enjoy his best season yet in a Tottenham shirt.

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