Memphis Depay (Lyon)

A great deal was expected of Memphis Depay when he arrived at Manchester United, and in truth the weight of that expectation weighed the Dutchman down. Now at Lyon, the forward is one of only four players in Europe's top 5 leagues to reach double figures for both goals (13) and assists (10) this season, with four of the latter coming in a stunning display at Metz at the weekend.

You could be forgiven for not realising Iago Falque played for Tottenham, with the Spaniard only leaving four years ago at the age of 24. He's since moved to Italy, playing for Genoa and Roma before a switch to Torino, where the winger has become an integral player. With 11 goals and 8 assists in Serie A this season, he leads the way in both categories for his club.

When Manchester United signed Radamel Falcao there was a real buzz around his last gasp switch to Old Trafford but the Colombian flattered to deceive and never really looked fit prior to a shock switch to Chelsea. Now back at Monaco, the striker inspired the club to the title last season and has followed up the 21 Ligue 1 goals he scored in 2017/18 with another 18 in just 23 appearances thus far.

Comfortably Milan's star performer beyond this season, Suso has even been touted with a return to Liverpool and the rossoneri fans are desperate to see the Spaniard stay. The playmaker is still only 24 but carries a significant amount of responsibility for a side that would struggle to pose a threat without him, with a direct hand in 11 goals this season, and 27 since returning from loan at Genoa.

Another player deemed an expensive flop at Old Trafford, Angel Di Maria is back in his stride this season at PSG and has found a new calling as a goal scoring forward in a front three. The Argentine looked likely to lose his place following the arrival of Neymar but has started 22 of 26 league appearances this season, netting 9 times in Ligue 1 and 15 since the turn of the year in all competitions.

Many Arsenal fans were unhappy that the club let Serge Gnabry leave for Werder Bremen in 2016 and given that he has signed for Bayern a year later, it became quite clear that he had been let go too soon. The 22-year-old, now on loan at Hoffenheim, has scored 19 league goals since the start of last season and been in a rich vein of form of late, with five goals in his last five games.

After a miserable season at Newcastle, Remy Cabella was allowed to return to France, initially on loan, at Marseille. The 28-year-old has since joined Saint-Etienne on loan and has rediscovered the form that saw him earn international recognition and help fire Montpellier to an unlikely title in 2012. The playmaker scored against PSG last time out, which was his fourth goal in three appearances.

So forgettable was his spell at Liverpool that Iago Aspas is best remembered for a comically bad corner kick but he’s been a different player since returning to Spain. Now in with a real chance of leading the line for la Roma at the World Cup this summer, the forward bagged a hat-trick at the weekend to take his league tally to 19 and match the figure he posted last season for Celta Vigo.

A third Spaniard that failed to make the grade at Anfield, Luis Alberto impressed on loan at Deportivo last season and has been a revelation since breaking into the Lazio team this season. The 25-year-old had a direct hand in a goal for the 20th time this season at the weekend and leads the way in Serie A for assists, with 11, pulling the strings behind loan striker Ciro Immobile.

Another player hitting heights Newcastle fans would scarcely believe, Florian Thauvin has forced his way into the France squad with some outstanding displays for Marseille. Among the four players in Europe’s top 5 leagues to reach double figures for goals (16) and assists (10) thus far, he has outshone Payet at OM, which is another thing Premier League fans wouldn’t haven thought possible.