Ranking the Premier League's 50 best players: 20-11

With the Premier League set to return on June 17, theScore will be counting down English football's top 50 players as voted by our editors. We'll reveal 10 stars every day until the top 10 are unveiled on June 14.

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

20. Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)

Injuries - first to his knee, then to his hamstring - largely robbed Laporte of any involvement in the 2019-20 season prior to the shutdown. It's no coincidence that Manchester City looked fragile defensively without their best center-back. A calming presence for Pep Guardiola's side, the Frenchman makes everyone around him better. His club will hope he's fit enough to help its bid for an elusive Champions League title.

19. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Speaking of injuries, Kane would easily have found himself inside this list's top 10 before a series of ailments, primarily to his ankles, started wreaking havoc on his mobility. The Tottenham captain remains a predatory finisher - and he still strikes a damn fine penalty - but he's no longer the all-conquering forward presence he was prior to his injury issues. It's a shame, really, because at his peak, the Englishman was in the conversation as the best center-forward in world football.

18. Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Trent Alexander-Arnold garners much of the attention on the flanks and puts up the flashier numbers, but Robertson is equally vital to the soon-to-be champions' success. The Scottish left-back is, quite simply, a machine. Only three players have more Premier League assists than Robertson this season, and his tireless effort up and down the touchline has allowed him to forge a brilliant partnership with Sadio Mane.

17. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)

Vardy is the Premier League's leading scorer with 19 goals this season, and the Leicester City stalwart seems to somehow be getting faster with age. He went on a tear beginning in mid-October, fashioning an eight-match scoring streak during which the sinewy forward found the net 11 times. He cooled off as Leicester hit a speed bump in 2020 but scored two more in the Foxes' final match before the shutdown to establish himself as the Golden Boot front-runner heading into the campaign's final stretch.

16. Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur)

Son swiftly spoiled his squeaky-clean reputation this season after his role in Andre Gomes' graphic ankle fracture and the boot to Antonio Rudiger's ribs. It is, perhaps, a fitting character arc; Son is a merciless and unrelenting attacker who makes a mockery of markers and utterly humiliates opponents with deft dribbles and dizzying feints. He's also Tottenham's best source of chances, as he's level with attack mate Kane on non-penalty goals with nine and is tops among Jose Mourinho's men in nearly every other attacking metric.

15. David Silva (Manchester City)

A technical marvel adept at navigating narrow channels, Silva is one of the best passers to grace the modern English game. At 34, the Spaniard's powers may have waned, but like an aging magician who never forgets their tricks, Silva remains a transcendent talent capable of wizardry. It's a shame Silva's storied and trophy-laden 10-year tenure with City will reach terminus without fans singing his name. Silva deserves nothing less for etching his own likeness on a monument of the Premier League's best-ever midfielders.

14. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

Considering the gains that Rashford has made since being thrust into Manchester United's starting XI as a teen, it's hard to measure his ceiling. With enhanced passing prowess and the ability to beat defenders in one-on-one situations - he's second in the league with nine nutmegs - Rashford has become a bona fide threat on the left. It would be a disservice not to mention his efforts as a forward in Anthony Martial's absence. Remarkably, still just 22, Rashford is sixth in the league in goals (14) and seventh in goal contributions (18). What a gem.

13. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Firmino might not be defying Expected Goals metrics like he did last season, but the savvy Brazilian is no less valuable to Liverpool's endeavors. Quite surprisingly, Firmino has not scored at Anfield this term, instead spreading eight tallies across seven away fixtures with six of them being match-winners - the epitome of clutch. Firmino's calculated and nuanced maneuvers elude the misemployed "False 9" moniker and are the perfect accessories to Mane's and Mohamed Salah's darting, direct runs.

12. Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City)

It's no fluke that Leicester's post-holiday slump coincided with Ndidi's spell on the sidelines with a knee injury. The Nigerian midfield anchor is Brendan Rodgers' most important cog, doing the job of two men in a 4-1-4-1 setup, acting as both a ball-stopper and hurried distributor on the break. His 65 interceptions pace the division, and he's top-five in tackles won and successful duels, both on the ground and in the air. Few players are at once as balletic and diligent as Ndidi.

11. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)

One of the Premier League's trickiest players, Mahrez continues to produce stellar numbers despite limited starting opportunities. Though he's featured from the opening whistle just 15 times, the lithe Algerian has paired seven tallies with eight assists for Manchester City. Delivering three key passes per 90 minutes - one of the highest totals in the league - Mahrez's creativity has shone through even as his club has endured relative struggles in 2019-20.