5 of the top number 10s in this season's Premier League

Maddison has been one of the more impressive number 10s
Maddison has been one of the more impressive number 10s

All is going according to plan in the topsy-turvy world of Premier League football this season. By going very well, it means that things remain as unpredictable as ever.

Defending champions, Manchester City remain locked in a titanic two-way battle with Liverpool for the league title. Tottenham Hotspur is once again punching above their weight as they are hanging on to the coattails of the top two.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are locked in a three-way battle for the remaining UEFA Champions League spot with Maurizio Sarri's Blues currently holding the upper hand.

As far as players are concerned, a host of stars have delivered brilliantly for their teams this season. These stars have been at the forefront of everything their clubs have done so far and will remain central to their teams' hopes of silverware/survival.

Among these class of stars, a particularly fantastic subset has emerged; the stars wearing number 10. Probably the most venerated shirt number in world football, the Premier League's best have been strutting their stuff brilliantly.

Here is a look at the top 5 number 10s of the season so far.


#5 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Rashford has upstaged Lukaku at Old Trafford
Rashford has upstaged Lukaku at Old Trafford

When Jose Mourinho decided to give the academy graduate the number 10 jersey at the beginning of the season, eyebrows were raised. This was because the England international was seen as a hit-or-miss young prospect who still had a lot of growing up to do.

Despite getting extensive game time under the Portuguese manager, he never really got going. He looked shorn of confidence with erratic performances the order of the day.

Following the sacking of the problematic Mourinho and his replacement by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rashford's season has undergone a dramatic transformation. Playing in the centre-forward role ahead of Romelu Lukaku, the 21-year-old has led the line brilliantly.

He has troubled defences with his pace and his decision making and shooting have improved significantly. Marcus Rashford is currently on 9 goals and 6 assists in 22 league games. It is a tally he is expected to better before the season ends, especially with the rich vein of form he and his side are in.

#4 Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Mane has been Liverpool's unsung hero so far
Mane has been Liverpool's unsung hero so far

Virgil Van Dijk, Alisson Becker, and Mohamed Salah are the Reds that have received the most praise/hype this season. These players have been excellent in the team's title challenge so far.

However, one other superstar has also shone brightly this season without being in the press as much. Senegalese international Sadio Mane, has been very effective for Jurgen Klopp's team without grabbing the headlines as often as the other superstars in the side.

Playing on the left-hand side of the Reds attack, his pace, dribbling, finishing, and teamwork have been too hot to handle for Premier League defences. The 26-year-old has made a habit of popping up to score important goals for the team.

The Reds' title challenge has been creaking in recent weeks with consecutive draws against Leicester City and West Ham. Without Mane's goals in both games, it could (and should) have been much worse for the Anfield giants.

Mane has already struck 11 goals and one assist and will be expecting to get more as the season unfolds.

#3 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Kane has been as prolific as ever this season
Kane has been as prolific as ever this season

The one-season wonder that has become a bonafide star, Kane has continued to deliver huge numbers for the Lilywhites.

At the beginning of the season, it was thought that the captain of the English national team was on his way to Real Madrid. Mouthwatering figures were mentioned with Kane earmarked as the successor-in-chief to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The move never materialized and the 25-year-old has continued in his usual form of plundering goals upon goals for his club. In 22 matches for Spurs, Kane had hit 14 goals and added 4 assists.

It is almost certain that were it not to be for the serious injury he sustained against Manchester United in January, his goal-scoring exploits would have continued and he would be on top (or close to the top) of the goal-scoring chart.

He is set to return shortly and is expected to hit/pass the 20+ goal mark for the umpteenth time in his career.

#2 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Aguero has been the main man for the Cityzens
Aguero has been the main man for the Cityzens

Sporting a silvery blonde hairstyle, Aguero has continued to deliver as he hones in on another 20+ goal season for the Cityzens.

One of the greatest strikers in Premier League history, the 30-year-old Argentine has continued to display the same sharpness and predatory finishing fans have become accustomed to.

The first season in a long while where he has not had an extended injury layoff, he has continued to deliver goals and big performances for a City side that is piling massive pressure on pacesetters Liverpool. He has scored against Liverpool, Arsenal (hat-trick), Manchester United to once again underline his quality of delivering in the big, high-pressure games.

The supply line has not been as effective as it was last season. Despite this, Aguero has continued to find himself in the dangerous spaces needed to finish off chances.

14 goals and 6 assists in 22 games tell the story of a man who isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon. This is a piece of news Man City opponents will dread to hear.

#1 Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

The man for the big occasion
The man for the big occasion

The jewel in Chelsea's crown and the one constant in a fluctuating team, Hazard has become the central figure in the Blues' chase for a UCL spot.

For a team filled with seasoned internationals including World Cup winners, the dependence on the Belgian captain has been baffling. Such is his importance that when he is on song, Sarri's men are purring and vice versa.

His low centre of gravity, dribbling, technique, and finishing have been in full display this season. Playing a free role (although down the left on paper) and shorn of the defensive work he was burdened by under Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, he has looked like a man reborn.

In 24 games so far, Hazard has delivered 12 goals and10 assists. The 28-year-old has been at the heart of everything good the Blues have done; he has been the best advertisement for Sarriball so far.

He has made a huge case for winning his second Player of the Year and is putting up numbers that compare favorably with that of the world's pre-eminent number 10; Lionel Messi.

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Edited by Akarshak (Ishu) Roy