#2 Manu Trigueros
Always a ‘Steady Eddie’ throughout his Villarreal career, Manu Trigueros has moved through the gears in recent months and has arguably been his side’s best player this season. That’s no mean feat given the abundance of talent the Yellow Submarine possess and crucially he’s remained incredibly consistent.
Trigueros has always shown tremendous energy and superb technical ability as a central midfielder in previous seasons but the potential to go further was being held back by the rather pragmatic Marcelino. Since Fran Escriba’s appointment as manager, Trigueros has been unleashed, tasked with causing more danger in his team’s well-functioned 4-4-2 counter attacking set up.
He’s now much more involved in the team’s attacks often playing the important defence-splitting pass or ending the move with a shot at goal. Trigueros is still incredibly disciplined and hasn’t shirked his defensive responsibilities but a new lease of life has allowed him to perform three roles simultaneously which he’s excelled at. That versatility was certainly worthy of a call up.
