Premier League: Pablo Fornals to Patrick Bamford; five most improved footballers of this season

Bengaluru, Feb 4: We have crossed the midway point of the 2020-21 Premier League season and this has indeed been a season full of surprises and upsets. The Premier League table is finally taking shape with Manchester City getting themselves into a favourable position in the table while Manchester United are also in the running for the Premier League title after a long time.

From an individualistic point of view also, some big players have flattered to deceive while we have also seen some players outperform themselves. In this article, we will take a look at five players who have defied all expectations this season.

Pablo Fornals - West Ham United

West Ham United, who were struggling to stave off relegation fears last season, have looked like a completely revitalized side this season with almost every player improved drastically this season. While Pablo Fornals has just two goals and two assists to his name this season, his contributions to the Hammers cannot be simply judged by his numbers.

The Spaniard has been immense for the East London side this time out and is finally shining in England following an underwhelming debut season in the Premier League.

Ilkay Gundogan - Manchester City

Ilkay Gundogan has been at Manchester City for quite some time now but his importance to the Sky Blues is now finally being more evident. The German international has been a nearly ever-present figure in the Manchester City midfield and he has been one of the best players in his role this season. His passing has been excellent while the midfielder has already completed twice as many dribbles compared to the last campaign and he has also contributed with nine goals across all competitions.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Everton

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's career saw a turnaround following the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti at the helm in the middle of the last season but the Englishman has looked like a completely different player this season establishing himself as one of the most dangerous centre forwards in the Premier League. The 23-year-old has 16 goals in all competitions in 23 games and apart from his lethal finishing, he has also improved drastically in terms of his hold up play and passing

John Stones - Manchester City

John Stones was a player who looked completely out of favour at Manchester City before the start of the season but the former Everton defender has managed to turn his fortunes around this season in such a fashion that the 26-year-old has even kept one of the best defenders in the Premier League Aymeric Laporte out of the team. Stones was always known for his range of passing and understanding of the game but now that he has worked on his error-prone nature

Patrick Bamford - Leeds United

Patrick Bamford had his chances to prove himself in the Premier League on a number of occasions in his career earlier but he never looked like a Premier League striker. However, things have changed this season for the Chelsea academy graduate with the 27-year-old finally proving his worth in the Premier League. The Englishman has scored 11 goals in 21 games this season for Marcelo Bielsa's free-scoring Leeds United side.