Premier League 2018-19: Top 10 attacking defenders

The Premier League 2018-19 season is just a few days away and the excitement has already started to begin.

The last couple of seasons have seen clubs buying defenders and breaking Premier League transfer records in the process. Manchester City bought John Stones for £47.5m, and went even higher when they bought Benjamin Mendy for £52m. Liverpool then bought Van Dijk for £75m from Southampton, which is the world record for a defender.

Defenders these days are important not only for their contribution in stopping goals, but also because more and more managers opt to build their attack from the back. Clubs have started looking for defenders with good attacking attributes.

On that note, here are the Top 10 attacking defenders in the Premier League to look out for in 2018-19.

Andrew Robertson: From being a Celtic reject, Robertson has became a regular figure in Liverpool's starting lineup. While the Reds reached the Champions League final last year, Robertson registered five assists in the Premier League and had one shot every two games with 1.1 key passes per game. Those are impressive numbers for a defender!

Trent Alexander-Arnold: In the absence of Nathaniel Clyne, Alexander-Arnold grabbed his chances and became a regular starter at the right back for Liverpool. He impressed everyone with his crosses and long passes, and was an important figure in his team's attacking moves.

He started for England against Belgium in place of Trippier in the final group game and registered nine key passes - more than any other England player.

Benjamin Mendy: The world's most expensive left back played only 360 minutes of football last season as he was sidelined by injury. But he still managed to create nine scoring chances and registered five shots on target for Manchester City. He is fit now and can be a regular starter for the defending champions.

Marcos Alonso: He was the highest goal-scoring defender in the Premier League last season, scoring seven times. The hard tackling defender wins possession back and does not shy away from taking attacking positions. He is also good at crossing and set pieces from near the penalty area.

Kieran Trippier: He raked up five assists from 24 games for Tottenham and has great ball possession, passing and crossing skills. He is good at set pieces too and scored against Croatia via a superbly taken free kick. There's no doubt he will be a regular on the ball when the Spurs win a dead ball situation.

Patrick van Aanholt: He possesses an eye for goal and has strong dribbling skills. The Crystal Palace defender scored back-to-back goals and provided a number of key passes towards the later stages of the club's campaign as they steered cleared of the relegation zone.

Harry Maguire: The Leicester City center-back put on impressive performances in the World Cup, even scoring a goal against Sweden. In the Premier League last season, he netted two goals and assisted another four. He also registered 30 shots as Leicester secured a top 10 finish.

Hector Bellerin: The Arsenal full-back uses his devastating pace to get forward in their attack but can easily get back to defending when they lose possession. With Unai Emery at the helm, Arsenal will be maintaining a high line and Bellerin can be a force from the back.

Sean Morrison: The Cardiff City's captain was named the club's player of the year as they secured promotion. Morrison had a big role to play in that, scoring seven goals and putting in one assist in the Championship. He boasts of a healthy shots-per-game ratio and also tops the charts in number of key passes for a defender.

Ryan Sessegnon: It's no surprise that Fulham's prodigy, who plays both as left back and left winger, makes the list. The left-footed defender has a staggering work rate and uses his pace and dribbling to get into attacking areas. 16 goals and eight assists in the Championship, for a player just 18 years old, clearly indicates his potential.