Paul Pogba
Ever since Paul Pogba moved to Manchester United last summer, the midfielder has, unsurprisingly, been haunted by his world-record £89million price tag.
With just seven goals and four assists to his name at Old Trafford, critics have been quick to question whether he will be able to repeat the exploits he displayed with Juventus.
But while he may have been found wanting in front of goal this season, the Frenchman has undoubtedly flourished in doing the most crucial job of a midfielder: passing the ball.
That much was made perfectly clear after he completed 61 passes against Chelsea on Sunday, enough to see him overtake Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson at the top of the Premier League charts.
The 24-year-old has 2,071 successful passes to his name in 28 appearances this season while Henderson sits agonizingly close on 2,057.
Cesar Azpilicueta (2,028) stands as the third and final man to have broken 2,000 passes.
More impressively, the Chelsea star is the only defender to make the top 10, perhaps indicating exactly why Antonio Conte values him so highly.
But it is Pogba who deserves praise for what he has achieved, topping the charts during his first senior season in Premier League football, even more so due to the negativity he has, at times, been subjected to.
The player himself suggested last week that critics need to realise that scoring goals is not his primary objective when he steps on a football pitch and overtaking Henderson came at the perfect time to strengthen that argument.
He told reporters: ‘People judge me for not scoring goals but that’s football.
The transfer is something else, on the pitch is something else. I am doing a job, I’m a midfield player and sometimes people think I’m an attacking player.’