If I need him to pick up a man and mark him out of the game, he does it.”
If I need him to play right-winger, he can play right-winger. If I need him to play right-back, he can play right-back. “In my team I love to have Geremi on the bench because he’s a low-profile player who is ready to help, ready to fight for the team, ready to do the job I want him to do. Whilst never a regular, he was always willing to give his utmost in any role required and Geremi’s ability to feature at right-back, right-wing and centrally made him a firm favourite of ‘The Special One’. Geremi was a combative player with fine technique and proved a vital member of Chelsea’s first title-winning squads, winning back-to-back titles under Jose Mourinho after previously impressing during a season-long loan at Middlesbrough. The Cameroon international played for some of the world’s biggest clubs during a memorable career, winning the Champions League and featuring alongside the Galacticos at Real Madrid before becoming the first signing of the Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea. Who could forget John O’Shea’s chip against Arsenal? Sublime! #mufc You love to see it! Five times outfield players ended up in Goal Perhaps the unlikeliest of Old Trafford cult heroes, he later enjoyed a lengthy spell at Sunderland in addition to winning over a century of caps for Ireland. Such was his ability to try his hand at any position, however, O’Shea memorably went in goal following an injury to Edwin van der Sar against Tottenham in 2007, earning chants of ‘Ireland’s number one’ after making a save from compatriot Robbie Keane on his way to keeping a clean sheet.įar from fashionable but an ever-reliable presence, O’Shea’s versatility saw him make 393 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, amongst the highest of any player in the Sir Alex Ferguson era. The Irishman was a fine defender capable of playing across the back four, whilst he also deputised in midfield on occasion. The Premier League player’s name perhaps most synonymous with the tag of utility-man, O’Shea established himself as a key component of a Manchester United squad that won five Premier League titles based largely on his ability to play, well, pretty much anywhere. Steven Caulker – and his brief role as Jurgen Klopp’s last roll of the dice at Liverpool – is perhaps a more forgettable example. The centre-back/centre-forward role was not unique to just Dublin either, the likes of Chris Sutton and Gary Doherty amongst those to have tried their hand and impressed at the vastly contrasting positions. Such was Dublin’s capability at centre-back, the four-cap England international once claimed he received the utmost praise from a former Premier League teenage sensation, a certain Wayne Rooney naming Dublin as the best centre-back he had played against. If the utility-man has been fazed out of football somewhat in recent years, then the sub-catergory of player – often referred to as a swingman in other leading sports – seems like a role from a bygone era.įitting perfectly into this role was former Coventry and Aston Villa star Dion Dublin, a formidable physical presence who remarkably starred as both a central forward and at centre-back.ĭublin spent the majority of his career leading the line, memorably winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot during the 1997/98 season, although he regularly featured in a defensive role and thrived – especially due to his aerial prowess. Here are five of the best utility-men in Premier League history: The Swiss Army Knife of any squad, the utility-man may be a dying breed but it is a player who should long be celebrated, with several great teams having had a non-specialist specialist amongst their ranks.Įach capable of performing comfortably in a variety of roles across the pitch, we’ve decided to look back at some of the very best ‘jack of all trades’ to ply their trade in English football. Even in an era when more substitutes are allowed than ever before, the value of the fabled utility-man can not be underestimated in Premier League squads.
0 kommentar(er)
