MY ACCOUNT
The Premier League is full of players who do not receive due acclaim compared to those playing for clubs at the top of the division.
We take a look at five impressive performers who have gone under the radar this season.
Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa)
It is remarkable that Tyrone Mings being stripped of the Aston Villa captaincy and left out of Steven Gerrard’s starting XI occurred on the opening day of this season.
The centre-back, who has also dropped out of England contention, seemed to be at a crossroads in his career at that stage but has barely put a foot wrong since.
Unai Emery’s appointment came just at the right time for Mings, who ranks fourth for both interceptions and headed clearances since the Spaniard’s appointment.
Villa have the fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League over that period.
Bernd Leno (Fulham)
Fulham have given up the highest expected goals tally in the Premier League, so owe their respectable defensive record to their goalkeeper.
Bernd Leno has made the second-most saves in the division — and the most from shots inside the box — to help his side concede just 49 goals, fewer than nine other teams.
The German has also regained possession from coming off his line the fifth-most of any stopper (five), displaying an all-round game that would not have looked out of place during his Arsenal career.
Pascal Gross (Brighton)
Kaoru Mitoma and Alex Mac Allister have stolen the headlines, but one of Brighton’s most reliable performers across six years in the Premier League has quietly notched up another impressive campaign.
At 31 years old, Pascal Gross may not be the subject of £50million-plus transfer rumours, but his technical quality has allowed him to excel at right-back and in the centre of midfield for Roberto De Zerbi.
Not only is Gross steady, he is also highly influential. The German has registered more Premier League goal contributions (eight goals, seven assists) than any of his team-mates.
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
Only strike partner Ivan Toney and Leicester’s James Maddison have recorded a higher goal contribution tally for teams outside the top eight than Bryan Mbeumo this season.
The Frenchman is outshone by his excellent team-mate but manager Thomas Frank certainly does not undervalue him, handing him the fifth-most minutes of any Brentford outfielder.
Mbeumo — still only 23 — can play wide or as one of a front two and scored in an impressive team performance against West Ham on Sunday when talisman Toney was absent.
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)
It is debatable whether a £42.5m footballer can ever be underrated but it has taken until recently for everybody to appreciate Morgan Gibbs-White for the player that he is, rather than judge him on his financial value.
The improvised flicked assist for Danilo against Southampton last week may have been the highlight of the 23-year-old’s debut campaign at Nottingham Forest, but it was also only the latest example of the quality he has shown all season.
Gibbs-White ranks 11th in the Premier League for chances created — above compatriots Harry Kane and Jack Grealish — and also sits clear for dribbles and assists in the Forest squad.
