Top ten players recently found down the back of the Premier League sofa who are thriving

As the Premier League season enters its final weeks, clubs have started looking deeper into their squads to find a few hidden first-team gems.

10) Juan Mata (Manchester United)

The sofa is knackered and living off past glories, while the item dredged from its innards is a little worn and being imminently shifted, but it remains perfectly serviceable and somehow incredibly handsome for an inanimate object. Juan Mata joined the reigning Premier League champions for a club-record fee and will leave them stranded in the Europa League, yet the Spaniard’s reputation has not been even vaguely damaged by eight-and-a-half years wasted at Old Trafford.

It seemed to take Manchester United that long and almost as many managers to figure out how best to utilise Mata, who excelled as a No.10 against Brentford on his 15th Premier League start in the last three seasons. Considering those who have been permitted to float around in the sea of mediocrity and been rewarded, his relative lack of recent use has been startling. This renaissance itself is pointless, coming as it does so soon before his departure as a free agent. Yet the contrast between how well Manchester United play with Mata in the side compared to their disjointed performances without a player of his calibre remains telling.

9) Fabian Delph (Everton)

The 32-year-old has held up his end of the bargain, replicating those leadership qualities and defensive instincts that thwarted United in a 1-0 win at Goodison Park to secure the same result against Chelsea. Delph also started the 1-1 draw at home to Leicester and will retain that starting place provided his hamstrings hold up.

8) Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa)

There are worse former Premier League midfielders to receive