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Man Utd news: Duo in best Premier League XI since January – Liverpool trio but no Mane
MANCHESTER UNITED have had two players named among the best performing Premier League stars this year, according to new research.
Man United: Solskjaer compares Rashford to Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United may have gone off the boil in recent weeks after defeats to Arsenal and Wolves, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have undeniably impressed since the turn of the year.
The Norwegian took over from Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in December, with the Red Devils then embarking on an 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions.
United are well in the hunt for a top four finish in the Premier League and subsequent Champions League qualification, although they are currently 18 points off table-topping Liverpool.
Performances in 2019 have been so impressive that two first-team stars have been named in the best performing Premier League XI over the past 1000 minutes, according to new data.
CIES Football Observatory have developed a unique algorithm to measure the technical performance of players based on on-field statistics.
Only taking into account players fielded for at least 630 minutes since January 1, the research has produced starting line-ups for the top five European leagues.
Three Liverpool players are included in the team, although top goalscorers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are both omitted.
Meanwhile, five Manchester City players make the cut and one surprise Crystal Palace ace is also included – but just which players have stood out this year?
Premier League best XI since January 1 – CIES Football Observatory
GK: Vicente Guaita (Crystal Palace)
RB: Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
CB: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
CB: Joel Matip (Liverpool)
LB: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
CM: Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
CM: David Silva (Manchester City)
CM: Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
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RAM: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
LAM: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
ST: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)