As the Premier League season enters its final weeks, clubs have started looking deeper into their squads to find a few hidden first-team gems.
10) Juan Mata (Manchester United)
The sofa is knackered and living off past glories, while the item dredged from its innards is a little worn and being imminently shifted, but it remains perfectly serviceable and somehow incredibly handsome for an inanimate object. Juan Mata joined the reigning Premier League champions for a club-record fee and will leave them stranded in the Europa League, yet the Spaniard’s reputation has not been even vaguely damaged by eight-and-a-half years wasted at Old Trafford.
It seemed to take Manchester United that long and almost as many managers to figure out how best to utilise Mata, who excelled as a No.10 against Brentford on his 15th Premier League start in the last three seasons. Considering those who have been permitted to float around in the sea of mediocrity and been rewarded, his relative lack of recent use has been startling. This renaissance itself is pointless, coming as it does so soon before his departure as a free agent. Yet the contrast between how well Manchester United play with Mata in the side compared to their disjointed performances without a player of his calibre remains telling.
9) Fabian Delph (Everton)
The use of players on deals with a looming expiration date can often be polarising. But Everton supporters will likely give no second thought to Fabian Delph’s contract status, provided he continues to help in their quest for survival. The midfielder started three of 19 Premier League matches under Rafael Benitez and none of Duncan Ferguson’s single-game interim reign. Frank Lampard appreciates the “honesty” of a two-time title winner and hoped in April that Delph would be capable of “carrying on with what he did against Manchester United” before necessary discussions over his future were held.
The 32-year-old has held up his end of the bargain,…
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