Premier League Return: 5 Players to Watch When Action Resumes

The Premier League is set to resume after months without one of the most exciting leagues in Europe on our TV screens every Saturday.

During a difficult time for sports fans and pundits, English football spectators have been fixated on the return of the German Bundesliga – becoming accustomed with the strange and eerie atmosphere without fans in the stadium, eagerly awaiting the return of Premier League action.

Now, as England’s top tier prepares for its highly anticipated return to our screens, clubs and their managers have been hard at work to ensure their players are ready for action and able to achieve their goals for this campaign.

Here, we take a look at five players to watch out for when the Premier League action returns.

Harry Kane has been one of the world's very best strikers for a number of seasons now and has often been thought of as the very best in English football.

Despite suffering a muscle injury in early January which excluded him from eight games, the Tottenham Hotspur number 10 had previously scored 11 goals in his 20 league games for Spurs and is still his side's top scorer for this season.

Now, the prolific England international has returned to good health during the break and will surely be back to his goalscoring form when the action returns.

Spurs will be in desperate need for their talisman to return in a goalscoring fashion, also. The north London side currently sit at eighth in the table, 30 points away from their total points tally last season and are facing missing out on a European spot.

Kane has recently hinted at a move away from Spurs, stating in an interview with Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp that he would consider a transfer should the side continue to be without a major trophy. without even qualifying for a place in the Champions League, the centre forward may put in performances that could earn him a move to a top European side.

This season, Jamie Vardy has managed to return to his former self and become one of the league's most devastating strikers, netting 19 times during his 26 appearances thus far.

The retired England international’s goals have made him the frontrunner in the race for the Golden Boot this season, which would be the first time Vardy will win the prestigious award if he manages to stay as the league’s leading scorer.

Despite being in incredible goal scoring form for the first half of the season, accumulating 17 goals in 18 games, Vardy seemed to slow down in terms of his goals. The second half of the season was much less fruitful for the forward, as he failed to score in 10 consecutive games for Leicester until he scored a brace in the Foxes last game, against Aston Villa.

Brendon Rodgers’ men are currently third in the league at the moment, and are now set for their best finish since their famous league win in 2015/16. Vardy will need to return in better form than his second half of the season, if he and his side are going to qualify for a place in the Champions League next season.

Bruno Fernandes has quickly become a fan favourite among the Old Trafford faithful and fans of the Red Devils will be eager to see their number 18 return to his impressive form, once the Premier League returns.

The Portuguese playmaker has seemingly been one of the most successful signings of the 2019/20 campaign, moving to Manchester United for a fee of around £47m.

Fernandes has already assisted three and scored two goals in his first five games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season, only failing to involve himself in a goal during a game once all season.

With the remainder of the season to play and United just three points off of fourth place Chelsea, the 25-year-old will be keen to continue to involve himself in the goals his manager and his side will need to keep the pressure on achieving a Champions League, top four finish.

The former Sporting Lisbon midfield man has been labelled as the possible key to United’s resurgence as a possible title contender, and it will be interesting to see if he returns to action in the exciting manner he entered the league with.

For a number of seasons now, Kevin De Bruyne has been considered in the argument for one of the best midfielders in world football, and for good reason. The Manchester City creative midfield man is currently set to finish as the league's lead assister for the third time in four seasons, already two assists behind his record of 18 assists in 2016/17.

This season, the Belgian international is four assists ahead of second place, Trent Alexander-Arnold, adding to his overall 62 Premier League assists at just 28-years-old. De Bruyne has also added seven goals to his tally during this campaign, highlighting just how versatile he is.

De Bruyne and Man City are always an exciting feature of the league and despite being 25 points behind the league leaders Liverpool, it is highly likely the City number 17 will return to action in exciting fashion in his attempt to break his personal record for assists.

Interestingly, the all-time record for Premier League assists is Thierry Henry’s 2002/03 record of 20 in a season. De Bruyne is just four assists away from that record with nine games remaining and it will be fascinating to see if the Belgian playmaker can potentially break this record.

Liverpool have had one of the most incredible Premier League campaigns any side has ever had, leading to the conversation of whether or not they are a better side than the Arsenal Invincibles or Manchester United’s class of ’92.

One of the standout players in a side filled with an array of world class talent is Senegalese winger, Sadio Mane. Liverpool’s number 10 has scored 18 times and assisted 12 in his 38 appearances for the Red’s across all competitions this season, featuring in 24 of his side’s 27 league wins all season.

The pacey winger's impressive form has been key to Jurgen Klopp and his side’s push for Liverpool’s first-ever Premier League trophy, and he will undoubtedly return in the show-stopping fashion he has been in all season.

Mane and his side will surely be keen to earn the remaining six points needed to win the league title this season, making himself and Liverpool a must-watch for when the action returns.

By Bradley Beecham