Premier League Team of the Week I

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Goalkeeper: Maarten Stekelenburg (Everton)

The Dutch shot-stopper returns to the Premier League having put a difficult stint at Fulham behind him. A return was always on the cards after a fruitful loan spell with Southampton last season and it was his manager at Saints, compatriot Ronald Koeman, who brought him to Goodison Park over the summer. He duly repaid his coach’s faith with a fantastic performance against Tottenham Hotspur which may just be a sign that the 33-year-old is getting back to his best.

Everton were in need of some inspiration between the sticks after the departure of long serving goalkeeper Tim Howard, and Stekelenburg looked more than capable of filling his gloves, with smart saves to deny Erik Lamela and his fellow countryman Vincent Janssen from point-blank range. His performance in goal helped preserve an opening day point for Everton and their new boss and without him, a revitalised Tottenham may well have taken all the spoils.

Right-Back: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)

From the right-back position, the Ecuadorian was a dangerous outlet overlapping Juan Mata against Bournemouth in a tense opening half, but his exceptional retaining of possession and the fact he refused to neglect his defensive duties helped make the difference as the Red Devils came out on top 3-1 on the South Coast. He made three key tackles for United, level with team-mate Eric Bailly and bettered only by Marouane Fellaini who came up with six from midfield.

Despite the scepticism when first deployed in the position, Valencia has gone on to make it his own at Old Trafford and this performance was another reminder as to what the former Wigan man is capable of even at full-back. He got up and down the right flank all game, joining the attack and always getting back to help his team. He may not be a household name at Manchester United, but he has all the necessary attributes to be one of Mourinho’s most important players and on this showing, in tight, tense contests, me may well be.

Centre-Back: Curtis Davies (Hull City)

The Hull City skipper was monumental at the back for the Tigers as Mike Phelan’s crisis-stricken team managed to grind out a sensational opening 2-1 win over Leicester City. He showed the leadership on the pitch that has been lacking off it and slammed the door on Leicester’s potent front-line which included the potent Jamie Vardy, the talented Riyad Mahrez and lively debutant Ahmed Musa.

Vardy rarely had a sniff at goal, and Davies’ marshalling of the Hull rear-guard was paramount in keeping the Foxes at bay. Only breached by Riyad Mahrez’s penalty, it was job done for Davies and co, and he is deservedly named in our Team of the Week.

Centre-Back: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)

Despite costing £30million, Bailly actually looks to be somewhat of a bargain at that amount after two opening competitive performances for the Red Devils which have been reminiscent of the days where Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic sat at the heart of the United defence.

The 22-year-old’s hefty transfer fee raised several eyebrows, but on his Premier League debut Bailly looked like he’d been playing in England his entire career in Sunday’s triumph over Bournemouth at the Vitality.

He was composed in defence, comfortable playing out from the back and retained possession superbly, an area where he was found wanting at times during his Villarreal days. He left his manager grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and the pressure that came with his price tag was virtually untraceable in his performance and he did all his talking on the pitch, with a superb early challenge on Joshua King to announce his presence in the Premier League. Nothing got by the Ivorian all game, and he may be an important piece of the Mourinho jigsaw in making United title contenders again.

Left-Back: Andrew Robertson (Hull City)

Another bright-spark in Hull’s opening day win over the champions, Robertson played a huge part in nullifying the threat down Leicester’s right, and contended with the daunting task of shackling the dangerous and unpredictable livewire Riyad Mahrez. He did his job superbly, keeping Mahrez out of the game for long periods and on every occasion the Algerian picked up the ball, he ran into a dead end with the excellent Scotsman there to close off any avenue of escape.