I asked myself should I go with who I believe have been the five most underrated players in Premier League history or do I solely opt for current stars?
In the end, I did a little bit of both here for SBOBET.
Denis Irwin
The heroics of the Irishman often went quietly unnoticed but Manchester United and their supporters knew his worth.
Every week he delivered a 7.5/8 out of 10 performance and his ability and reliability is proven by the fact he spent 12 years at Old Trafford – making 522 starts and winning 19 major honours in a star-studded spell.
Operating as a full-back adept on either side and a dead-ball specialist, he also scored 33 times to boot, which is no mean feat for a defender.
If Irwin was always the epitome of ‘Mr Consistent’, a player who arrived at the Theatre of Dreams four years after his departure was the more recent successor to the throne.
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick may have been a fairly big money signing when he left Spurs for £16-M in 2006 but his contribution was worth every penny.
The fact that the Geordie-born midfielder was so often unsung and didn’t have the profile of many of his midfield contemporaries meant he was rarely acclaimed.
Yet England’s failure to award him more than 34 caps was definitely the loss for a national team which instead persisted in a Steven Gerrard-Frank Lampard partnership which rarely worked, yet would have benefited from Carrick’s presence to allow the former two to roam.
If it was England’s loss, it was United’s gain as Carrick won a host of honours with the Red Devils – including five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Make no mistake about it, those who really know what they are talking about realise Carrick was one of the best midfielders in Europe for a decade.
His testimonial in June 2017 was just reward for one of the most underrated players in Premier League history.
James Milner
Another player whose record tells its own story is James Milner.
The Yorkshire man came through the ranks of Leeds United’s Academy and won the PFA Young Player of the Year while representing Aston Villa back in 2010.
He also had spells at Newcastle and won the Premier League twice with Manchester City, as well as the Champions League with Liverpool last season.
With his consistency and leadership, Milner has became a big contributor as to why Liverpool’s Premier League odds of winning it all are at an all-time high.
His versatility and dependability also stretches to penalty kicks where he is in the Eric Cantona and Matthew Le Tissier league for reliability in terms of creating Premier League highlights.
Tim Cahill
My final two spots are taken by goalkeepers and this was no easy decision and there were a few close calls.
Not at least for Tim Cahill, who first caught my eye at Millwall.
He then was at Everton for eight seasons during which the Australian became a fan-favourite, scoring regular goals and became the first Toffee to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or since legendary goalkeeper Neville Southall.
Gareth Barry was another contender but that wasn’t just for longevity.
He may hold the record for most Premier League appearances but he was also reliable and highly effective, including as a pivotal player in Manchester City’s 2012 title triumph.
Kevin Nolan
Another player who impressed me — and is someone whose shirt I have hanging up in my wardrobe — is Kevin Nolan.
He may never have won a major trophy but the Scouse-born midfielder made 431 top flight appearances for Bolton, where he was one of my favourites.
Nolan also played for Newcastle and West Ham and scored some memorable PL goals too. He also helped each of those clubs to gain promotion from the Championship.
Shay Given
When Blackburn were in their brief pomp in 1993 to 1995, their last line of defence was the impressive Tim Flowers who was England’s number two and one of the top keepers in the land.
No wonder they were willing to sell their own no. 2, Shay Given.
They couldn’t possibly have realised he would turn out to be not only every inch as good as Flowers, but arguably even better.
Given went on to spend most of his career at Newcastle and is a hero on Tyneside, helping them qualify for Europe on several occasions.
Despite a fairly small stature, the Irishman was a superb player. And even after leaving Tyneside, he enjoyed two years with Manchester City where he won the FA Cup in 2011. He then joined Aston Villa and then he played for Stoke City in his twilight days.
The fact he was twice named in the PFA Team of the Year shows that those at the other clubs also realised how good he was.
Jussi Jaaskelainen
He was one of Bolton’s longest and most consistent servants, having played 509 games in their colours, as well as earning 56 caps for his national team.
His performances came to Bolton’s rescue many times. The only surprise is not that he is included on this list, but the fact that many other big sides didn’t try and pry him away from the Reebok Stadium.
Jaaskelainen is one of the league’s top stoppers and he is my final choice in an enjoyable trip down memory lane assessing the most underrated players in Premier League history.
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