Premier League Team of the Week: Mane, Abraham and Son feature

EPL best XI for Week 5, featuring Sadio Mane, Tammy Abraham and Heung-Min Son.

Strikers are continuing to have the time of their lives in this season’s Premier League. Sadio Mane, Tammy Abraham and Heung-Min Son all helped themselves to multiple goals during matchweek 5 to boost already impressive tallies.

They weren’t the only strikers to profit. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit two for Arsenal before a typical Gunners implosion against Watford on Sunday. The same day saw a Callum Wilson brace help Bournemouth brush Everton aside.

However, in the interests of forming a credible 3-4-3 formation, only a trio of the top flight’s prolific marksmen made the cut.

Find out who else joins Mane, Abraham and Son in the latest team of the week:

Goalkeeper: David De Gea, Manchester United

Convincing David De Gea to stick around for another four years is the best thing Manchester United have done this summer. The Spaniard wasn’t at his best last season but is already looking close to peak form in the new campaign.

De Gea was the Red Devils’ best player during Saturday’s drab 1-0 win over Leicester at Old Trafford. He made smart saves to deny Foxes playmaker James Maddison twice.

Ben Chilwell and Youri Tielemans were also frustrated by vintage De Gea stops. He preserved the home side’s slender advantage when Leicester grew into the game after the break.

United’s defense received a needed infusion of talent with the signings of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire this summer. Yet the improvement at the back is as much about De Gea’s resurgence.

Defender: Serge Aurier, Tottenham

Standout Serge Aurier performances are a rare thing. Fortunately for Tottenham, the dynamic right-back was in the mood during Saturday’s 4-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Aurier tormented the Eagles with this pace, power and pinpoint crossing. Teasing deliveries created a pair of goals, one for Son and an own goal via the unfortunate Patrick van Aanholt.

Having Aurier raid forward tirelessly and find space on the overlap afforded Spurs an invaluable outlet in the final third. It also ensured deadly strike duo Son and Harry Kane were rarely without chances.

Tottenham have needed someone to make the right-back berth his own since selling Kieran Trippier to Atletico Madrid this summer. Aurier can answer the call provided he stays focused.

Defender: Harry Maguire, Manchester United

Facing his old club for the first time since becoming the world’s most-expensive defender was tough duty for Maguire. Some Leicester fans weren’t shy about letting their former center-back know he won’t be missed, but the England international kept his composure.

Maguire was typically dominant in the air, but he particularly impressed on the deck. Using pace and timing to track runners, Maguire negated the movement and quickness of striker Jamie Vardy and winger Demarai Gray.

Along with his defensive chops, Maguire was neat and tidy in possession. The 26-year-old has wasted no time becoming a rock in both phases of the game for his new club.

Defender: Lewis Dunk, Brighton

Brighton still haven’t won since the opening day and its a familiar story why. A struggle to score goals is wasting the efforts of a solid defense led by Lewis Dunk.

The rugged center-back was in defiant mood during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Burnley. He responded brilliantly to the challenge posed by the Clarets’ typical aerial bombardment.

Burnley launched an abundance of long balls into the box, aiming for towering strikers Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes. Yet those direct passes were usually met by the head of Dunk, who refused to be bullied in the air.

Dunk nullified Wood and Barnes so well, Burnley needed a long-range shot from Jeff Hendrick to equalise. It was the only effort on target the Clarets mustered against Dunk’s resistance.

Midfielder: Moussa Djenepo, Southampton

Ralph Hasenhuttl may have signed the bargain of the summer when he acquired Moussa Djenepo from Standard Liege for less than £15 million. The Mali international has offered glimpses of his ability to produce magic out of nothing and decide matches.

Djenepo was the decisive contributor as the Saints won 1-0 away to Sheffield United on Saturday. His goal was a superb example of his core qualities, namely pace, strength, quick feet and shooting power.

It’s Djenepo’s second wonder goal, to go with his special strike to help beat Brighton last month. Along with Nathan Redmond and Sofiane Boufal, Djenepo gives Southampton a trio of fleet-footed wide men every defense in the division should fear.

Midfielder: Scott McTominay, Manchester United

Scott McTominay isn’t the most elegant midfielder in United’s ranks. He doesn’t have the skill and flair of Paul Pogba, nor the technique and vision of Juan Mata.

What McTominay does possess is a ceaseless engine and the natural tenacity to help the Red Devils win any scrap in the middle of the park.

United’s terrier was superb against Leicester, consistently wrecking the Foxes’ attempts to put together slick passing moves. McTominay broke up possession by snapping into tackles, making interceptions and out-muscling Maddison and Tielemans.

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The Scotland international wisely kept his own actions on the ball safe and simple. His neat and efficient distribution rendered Leicester’s danger men moot and helped United build on the counter.

McTominay’s game may be unfashionable, but he is fast becoming the solid foundation United’s midfield can’t operate effectively without.

Midfielder: Mason Mount, Chelsea

Frank Lampard’s youth movement appears to be steadily paying dividends for Chelsea. Mason Mount is leading the charge with his enterprising displays from the advanced areas of midfield.

Still just 20, Mount has the intuition and eye for a pass to belie his tender years. He threaded several inch-perfect passes between the lines against a fast-regressing Wolves defense.

Mount was also effective out of possession. He pressed high up the pitch and forced several defenders into mistakes.

While he’s busy off the ball and astute on it, Mount’s game is defined by goals. He eventually found the net in stoppage time at Molineux to cap another precocious display.

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Mount has already established himself as the creative fulcrum of Lampard’s quiet revolution.

Midfielder Emi Buendia, Norwich

Norwich’s stunning 3-2 upset of Manchester City hinged on how often the Canaries forced mistakes from defenders trying to play out from the back.

Emi Buendia was the key figure in the approach. He routinely applied pressure on the ball and stifled City’s attempts to build from deep.

His reward came when he pounced on an errant pass from Nicolas Otamendi in the box. One quick pass to Teemu Pukki put Norwich 3-1 ahead.

It wasn’t all about off-the-ball work from the Argentinian, though. Buendia also dragged defenders out of position with his movement.

He picked his passes wisely, made smart choices and found the right runners.

Players like Pukki and midfielder Todd Cantwell are garnering more of the plaudits, but Buendia is the player who really makes Norwich tick.

Striker: Sadio Mane, Liverpool

Another Liverpool game at Anfield and two more goals from Mane. Saturday’s 3-1 win over Newcastle was par for the course for the league-leaders and their prolific winger.

Mane struck a brilliant double to bring Liverpool back from 1-0 down after Jetro Willems had given the Magpies a shock early lead. Those goals continued Mane’s prolific run on home soil.

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Since the mid-point of last season, Mane has been forcing himself ahead of fellow forward Mohamed Salah as Liverpool’s most important player.

Striker: Tammy Abraham, Chelsea

Abraham’s knack for finding the net can’t be taught. He’s on the kind of run when even half chances are converted with the minimum of fuss.

The way he took his hat-trick against Wolves showed a striker who isn’t even considering the possibility he might miss. Abraham’s first goal was a clever shot on the turn that deceived goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

His second was all about timing and strength as he beat Conor Coady to a Marcos Alonso cross and powered in a header. Coady was victimized again when quick and clever footwork worked some shooting space Abraham didn’t waste.

He’s playing well enough to not only vindicate Lampard’s decision to start Olivier Giroud ahead of him. Abraham is also providing the cutting edge the Blues were supposed to lack after Eden Hazard left for Real Madrid this summer.

Chelsea are set to save millions thanks to a player who is maturing from promising academy graduate into the gifted No. 9 the club has been seeking in vain.

Striker: Heung-Min Son, Tottenham

Spurs are a better side any time Son takes to the pitch. His pace, timing and the variety of his movement makes this is a more versatile and dangerous team in the final third.

Son’s ability to drift from out to in and run off Kane allows the Lilywhites to mix up their passing. Full-backs being dragged inside leaves room and creates angles for more crosses from free runners in wide areas.

Son got his second goal thanks to one such movement after he had ghosted from right to left and volleyed in Aurier’s cross. The South Korean’s first goal had been scored from the inside right when he ran onto a long ball over the top.

Spurs have greater options and more ways to carve open defenses when Son is involved.