The likes of Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard and Sergio Aguero will be forever remembered for their iconic stints in the Premier League. However, not all foreign imports have made their marks on the English game. In fact, some barely even registered, before going on and forge impressive careers on the continent.
Planet Sport digs out six world-class players whose Premier League stays were best forgotten and, in some cases, have been.
Jerome Boateng – Manchester City
Big things were expected of Boateng when he made the switch to Manchester City from Hamburg in 2010 for a fee of £10.5million, with Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong having previously trodden the same path.
Things didn’t get off to a great start when the defender tore a tendon in his knee on international duty with Germany, which was then aggravated after a collision with a drinks trolley on the flight home.
After a month of recovery, Boateng made his debut in a 1-0 victory over Chelsea but would only go on to represent the blue side of Manchester 24 times in total, and predominantly at right-back.
Frustrated by his lack of minutes and being played out of position, he made the switch to Bayern Munich a year later in order to enhance his international prospects.
It was a move that paid off as he was a key component in the heart of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning defence.
Not that he left England…