England is no longer a land where box-to-box fiends rule. The era of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard is no more.

Still, that doesn’t mean there’s been a great reduction in quality. Anything but. Instead, the Premier League is home to a variety of midfield profiles each boasting their own unique brilliance.

The box-to-boxer does remain, only not as prevalent, with press resisters growing in prominence as of late given the desires of teams to win possession back high up the pitch.

This is a division home to some of the world’s leading midfielders and here’s how 90min ranks the ten best at the start of the 2024/25 campaign.

There were at least a few positives for Enzo Maresca to take from Chelsea’s opening weekend defeat to Manchester City. The biggest plus, arguably, was the performance of Romeo Lavia in midfield.

After missing almost the entirety of his debut campaign due to various injury setbacks, Lavia produced a performance straight out of his 2022/23 breakout vintage. A tenacious defender who resists pressure with ease, Lavia is set on making up for lost time at Stamford Bridge.

Pep Guardiola had a few concerns heading into City’s season opener, but the Spaniard needn’t have worried.

With Rodri absent, Mateo Kovacic got the nod at the base of City’s midfield and produced a fine display which was capped off with a sublime individual goal. Kovacic breezed past over £200m worth of midfield talent before firing home beyond a weak-wristed Robert Sanchez.

Sold in a bid to alleviate Everton’s financial woes, Amadou Onana looks to be one of the star acquisitions of the summer.

It didn’t take long for the powerful but technically proficient midfielder to impress Villa supporters in pre-season and his Premier League campaign got off to the perfect start as he scored in the opening stages of Aston Villa’s 2-1 win over West Ham.

He may have been outperformed by teammate Joelinton on Matchday 1, but there’s no denying who the star of Newcastle’s midfield is.

The Magpies have done superbly well to retain Bruno Guimaraes’ services with a couple of huge clubs beginning to circle and lurk. The Brazilian is an all-phase contributor who combines samba majesty in possession with classic South American grit.

Hungary’s captain endured a tough second half to the 2023/24 season having made a lightning-fast start to his Liverpool career. Dominik Szoboszlai, amid a demanding schedule, ran out of puff.

Alexis Mac Allister was the midfield star for the Reds down the stretch, but the very early signs under Arne Slot suggest Szoboszlai will be the main man in the middle of the park. The box-to-box machine was sublime in the second half as Liverpool turned on the style at Portman Road on their way to a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

Declan Rice’s opening bout of the 2024/25 season ended with cramp after he produced a fairly leggy display.

Still, Arsenal’s £105m man was key to their title challenge last term, adding another string to his bow in the form of set-pieces. Arsenal’s business to conclude the summer will determine the role he plays for Mikel Arteta this term.

Kevin De Bruyne may have lost a yard but he’s as canny as ever. He starred in spurts after returning from a long-term hamstring injury last season and may well be enjoying his last dance in Manchester this term.

The Belgian’s campaign started brightly away at Chelsea, with Guardiola tasking De Bruyne with occupying positions he’s not particularly familiar with. Still, the 33-year-old was as menacing as ever each time he received possession in and around the Chelsea box.

Erik ten Hag went striker-less on the opening night of the new season, with Bruno Fernandes sharing false nine responsibilities alongside Mason Mount. It’s a role the Man Utd talisman is unlikely to take on moving forward, as Ten Hag will want to have his creative star working in tandem with either Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund.

No matter how poor United are, Fernandes will always have an influence.

Martin Odegaard makes you purr a stupid number of times in any given contest. It’s simply joyous watching the Scandinavian playmaker go about his business.

The Arsenal captain performs an ever-evolving function in Arsenal’s midfield; one capable of being mastered by very few. Relentless without the ball but a delight with it, Odegaard deserves immense credit for developing well beyond his initial trajectory when he rocked up to the Emirates on loan three years ago.

It’s hard to imagine this Arsenal team without him in it.

The linchpin of the most dominant club team the Premier League has perhaps ever seen, Rodri is undoubtedly the division’s best.

While they cruised to three points in his absence last weekend, their ability to control matches is greatly reduced without their Spanish superstar. He simply doesn’t lose games of football.

You can’t boast Rodri’s dictatorial capacity, defensive shrewdness and ability to devastate in the final third and not be labelled the best in the world.

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