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Sometimes it's astounding to us when players who've performed outrageously well in one season move to another team and suddenly start looking ordinary. No matter how talented a player is, unless he is playing for a side that complements his qualities, he will struggle.
We've seen this happen with multiple high-profile footballers in the recent past. Philippe Coutinho at Barcelona is a great example. At Liverpool, the team was built around Coutinho and he was the creator-in-chief of the Merseysiders before he left for Barcelona.
In Spain, Coutinho was just another cog in a team that had multiple superstars. His influence waned as he was no longer a central figure and was not handling the ball anywhere close to as much as he was at Liverpool. As a result, his form deteriorated and he has had an underwhelming stint with the Catalans.
He is currently on loan at Aston Villa and has done a pretty good job for the Premier League side so far since joining in January. In fact, he looks like a completely different player.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five superstars who need to change clubs to revitalize themselves.
#5 Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
After warming the bench at Manchester United in the first half of the 2020-21 season, Jesse Lingard was shipped out to West Ham on loan in January 2021. Over the course of the next few months, the Englishman showed us exactly what he is capable of when he is part of a team that's suited to his playing style.
The Hammers do a lot of counterattacking and Lingard's direct running and shooting ability helped them greatly. In 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham United in the 2020-21 season, he scored nine goals and provided four assists.
That's the level that Lingard is capable of performing at. However, he has since returned to his benchwarming duties at Manchester United and has more or less wasted an entire season.
The 29-year-old does not have a lot of time left and needs to cop a move as soon as possible because he is a much better player than his recent performances for the Red Devils would suggest.
He has started just a single Premier League game this season and has come off the bench on 12 occasions.
#4 Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Paul Pogba can be absolutely world-class on his day. However, he is not the most consistent footballer on the planet. Part of the reason why Pogba has failed to have the desired impact at Manchester United is because he is not the kind of player they need in midfield.
Manchester United need mobile midfielders and Pogba is quite limited on that front. His defensive discipline is poor. The Frenchman played his best football at Juventus when he had disciplined work-horses around him in midfield.
He is the kind of player who has to be given the freedom to use his creativity. This means sacrificing a bit of positional discipline.
The 28-year-old has done a good job this season, scoring a goal and providing nine assists in 21 appearances across all competitions. He can clearly do better for a team with a more balanced midfield.
#3 Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Chelsea broke their transfer record to sign former player Romelu Lukaku last summer. They spent €113 million to rope him in from Inter Milan. It didn't seem too bad an idea at the time as Lukaku's heroics had just propelled the Nerazzurri to their first Serie A title in 11 years.
However, the Belgian international has failed to replicate that form at Chelsea and has only compounded the Blues' problems. The 28-year-old has scored 11 goals and provided two assists in 30 appearances across all competitions for Thomas Tuchel's men so far this season.
Lukaku's sloppy first touch and ordinary finishing make him a bad fit for Chelsea. He also rubbed Chelsea fans the wrong way when he publicly flirted with former club Inter Milan in an interview with Sky Sports towards the end of 2021. The writing is on the wall. Lukaku needs to move on from Chelsea to revive his career.
#2 Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
Eden Hazard's dream move to Real Madrid has not worked out to anyone's liking. The Belgian international has struggled for fitness since moving to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2019. Hazard is Real Madrid's most expensive signing (€115 million) but he has not justified his price tag by any stretch of the imagination.
The 31-year-old is currently navigating yet another largely forgettable season with Real Madrid. He has been very lackluster this term, scoring just one goal and providing two assists in 22 appearances across all competitions for Los Blancos.
Hazard is now playing second fiddle to Vinicius Jr., who is having the best season of his career so far. The Belgian international can still be a quality player on his day but he's unlikely to hit those levels at Real Madrid.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
This list is dominated by Manchester United players. It speaks volumes about their flawed recruitment policies that so many high-profile footballers have proven to be a bad fit for the club. Is Cristiano Ronaldo the problem at Manchester United? No. But he is also definitely not the solution.
At 37-years-old, Ronaldo is far from the mobile and dynamic forward he used to be in his prime. While his predatory instincts inside the box are commendable, that is pretty much all he has going for him at Manchester United.
The Red Devils played some of their best football post the Sir Alex Ferguson era last season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. That's when they had fast and dynamic attackers interchanging positions and combining to great effect.
Ronaldo's first touch has been sloppy and his decision-making in the final third has been nothing to write home about either. The Portuguese international has scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 31 appearances.
He can do much better for a more well-rounded and balanced team who need a poacher as their striker.
