Emiliano Martínez: Several reasons have been offered for Aston Villa’s much-improved second season back in the Premier League. However, perhaps one of the more overlooked factors has been the recruitment of the Argentine goalkeeper from Arsenal. The 28-year-old has been key to his side’s increasing stability at the back. As it stands, only one Premier League team (Man City) has conceded fewer goals than Villa.

Michael Keane: Everton currently sit fourth and have had a very encouraging first half of the season. Their solid backline has been a big asset and integral to their improvement, having finished a disappointing 12th last season. And Keane has been key in this regard, marshalling their defence well and appearing in all 15 of their Premier League matches thus far.

Jannik Vestergaard: The Danish international has not always been an automatic choice for Southampton, appearing just 19 times last season. But this year, the 28-year-old has emerged as a key player, performing well at the back and chipping in at the other end too with three goals. And tellingly, he was not involved for Southampton’s worst display of the season — the 5-2 loss in their second game against Spurs. Unfortunately, they will also have to cope without him in the coming weeks, as a recent knee injury has curtailed his progress.

Andy Robertson: A predictable choice, but one that’s hard to argue with, Robertson has been comfortably the best left-back in the Premier League for quite some time now and continues to be a key player for Liverpool. Moreover, while other key Reds defenders have missed plenty of games due to injury, Robertson has been an ever-present in a backline that has remained relatively solid regardless of the many changes it has undergone.

James Justin: Leicester currently sit third in the Premier League and the 22-year-old has been one of the unsung heroes in Brendan Rodgers’ side, featuring at full-back/wing-back in all 16 of their top-flight matches thus far.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg: An important signing for Tottenham in the summer, the Danish midfielder has given Spurs a harder edge that has them looking more like a Jose Mourinho side and less likely to give cheap goals away.

Youri Tielemans: The Belgian midfielder has been an integral player for Leicester since signing for the club, initially on loan, in January 2019. The 23-year-old has been key to the Foxes controlling midfield in games more often than not, and it was no surprise recently to hear Brendan Rodgers say the player was not for sale, amid rumoured interest from elsewhere.

Bruno Fernandes: The Portuguese star continues to be consistently brilliant for the Red Devils, with an impressive haul of 10 goals and seven assists so far helping to lift Man United to second in the table.

Son Heung-min: A strong candidate for player of the season so far, the South Korea international is in the form of his life at the moment. His 11 goals and four assists has helped turn Tottenham into a far more formidable outfit compared with last season.

Harry Kane: At 27, Kane is not the player he once was, in fact, he is arguably better than ever. While lacking the lightning pace that many of the Premier League’s top forwards possess, his finishing remains sharper than most. In addition, the somewhat deeper role he has occupied this season has seen him swiftly develop into one of the top flight’s most effective playmakers, as a remarkable haul of 10 assists indicates. And with nine goals, he is also seventh on the top scorer list.

Mo Salah: At this stage, we are so used to the Egypt international starring in games that it’s almost taken for granted. And with 13 goals and three assists to his name this season, it looks set to be another vintage campaign for the 28-year-old attacker.

Subs: Edouard Mendy, Ben Chilwell, Tyrone Mings, Jordan Henderson, Jack Grealish, Jamie Vardy, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.