Sheffield United defender John Egan has picked a surprise choice as the toughest Premier League striker he has faced this season.
Egan has played all but one of the Blades’ 28 top flight matches this term. He only missed the 3-3 draw with Manchester United due to injury.
It means that the Republic of Ireland international has come up against every team in the division, except the Red Devils.
So Egan has a pretty good basis to make a judgement on the best forwards in the league. Yet despite defending against the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane, it is a Wolverhampton Wanderers player that the 27-year-old has picked.
“As a striker I’d say Raul Jimenez. He was handy,” Egan told Irish Football Fan TV.
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When asked who the best player was he’d faced this term, the Irishman said: “(Kevin) De Bruyne or (Sadio) Mane, I’d say. Different players but they’re probably the two I’ve been most impressed by.”
Praise indeed from Egan
(Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
Although the Blades are a newly promoted team, Jimenez should be proud to have been picked by one of their centre-backs.
That is because Egan is part of the second best defence in the entire Premier League. Only leaders Liverpool having conceded fewer in 2019/20.
The Reds and Burnley are also the only teams to have kept more than their 10 clean sheets as well. Meanwhile, the 3-3 draw with Man United is the only time the South Yorkshire side have let in more than two goals in a game.
Egan has faced Jimenez once this campaign, lining up against the Mexican at Molineux back in December. Lys Mousset gave the visitors an early lead on the day, but Matt Doherty salvaged a point for Wolves in a 1-1 draw.
Although Jimenez wasn’t on the scoresheet, he clearly did enough to impress Egan. Even more so than Aguero, Kane and the rest.
