Jordan Henderson – Liverpool
Another player like Ben Arfa in part 1 of this column who’s well-known in name but has as of yet failed to live up to his full potential on the field. When pundits got tired of making Stewart Downing jokes, Henderson was next on the target list last season as he looked overmatched in many a Liverpool game and some began to question if he is good enough for a top team. Last season’s performances made it easy to forget how good Henderson was for Sunderland in the 2010-11 season and he is still only 22. Liverpool missed Lucas desperately last season and Henderson will be buoyed by his return and a full season of Stevie G behind him for support. Also Brendan Rodgers system should favor Henderson’s creative style of play more than King Kenny’s system did. I expect a big bounceback season from the youngster.
Franco Di Santo – Wigan
Di Santo showed a glimpse of what he is capable of at the tail-end of last season and finished the campaign with his best ever return (7 goals in the league). You could see the talent that saw him enter England through the Chelsea academy on display most prominently against Arsenal at the Emirates. Di Santo tormented the Arsenal defense en route to a famous victory and with Moses looking to be on the way out (rather ironically to Di Santo’s former club Chelsea) Di Santo should feature regularly for the Latics.
Roberto Martinez seemed to figure out what worked best for his group during their miraculous relegation escape and was quoted as saying Di Santo in particular was “beginning to fulfill his potential.” I expect Di Santo will finally fully settle into English football this season. He has a tremendous first-touch and when confident he is an adept finisher. I expect an even bigger return from the young Argentine this season.
Tom Cleverley – Manchester United
Manchester United can only rely on aging relics like Paul Scholes, Darren Fletcher, and Michael Carrick to run the center of midfield for so long, and the time has come for a certain young Englishman to emerge. Cleverley looked set to step right into the United team last season but was hit by a bad injury and never really got back to full fitness. But Cleverley showed he is back in top form with a good showing at the Olympics and while a year later than United fans would have liked, he looks ready to play the role of deep-lying playmaker performed so expertly by Scholes for the past decade.
If he stays healthy, Cleverley looks poised to shine this season (I see a midfield diamond with Cleverley sitting immediately behind Kagawa and two of Nani/Valencia/Young on each wing looking particularly scary!).
Any other players that you think might make the step up? Let me know in the comment section and enjoy the Community Shield this weekend!
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