Top 10 Premier League defenders of the season so far including Liverpool and Chelsea stars

A cliche of the modern game is that defenders don't get enough praise, instead it's reserved for the goalscorers, magic midfielders and great goalkeepers - but that might just be changing.

It's no longer a shock to see defenders on the scoresheet, while their ability on the ball is paramount in progressing play. With the Premier League season entering its final few rounds, it'll be those reliable heads at the bottom end of the pitch who'll go a long way to deciding where each team lands in the table at 5pm on Sunday, May 22.

As legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once said: "Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles." After naming our top 10 goalkeepers of the campaign, it's time to put the spotlight on the defenders and rank the very best this term has had to offer.

It's no shame for any 19-year-old player's first season of senior football to be a few levels below the Premier League, but Southampton's rampant right-back didn't need to find his bearings in the lower divisions before making the step up to the big time.

The teenager, who had only ever played for Chelsea's youth sides prior to this campaign, got off to a flyer in August. He shone during a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Saints' second league outing of the term, having displaced stalwart Kyle Walker-Peters to an unfamiliar role on the left.

Granted, Ralph Hasenhuttl's back line is notoriously leaky - a reason why Mohamed Salisu doesn't make the cut - but Livramento has been a revelation. Matty Cash and Reece James can count themselves unlucky not to make it either, but the Stamford Bridge product's story is too good to ignore. England honours look a certainty in the coming years, even amid the country's plethora of quality