Alan Shearer has named Chelsea duo Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo in his Premier League Team of the Season so far.
The legendary striker, who is the division's record scorer with 260 goals, unveiled his picks in a post on the Premier League's official website on Saturday.
Shearer picked Caicedo in the middle of the park, writing of the Ecuadorian midfielder: "He has made great strides under Enzo Maresca and Chelsea now look a different side altogether thanks to his dynamic midfield performances."
On Palmer, who Shearer picked as his team's No. 10, the former Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers hitman wrote: "A modern, versatile forward who is getting better with every game he plays."
"Palmer is simply phenomenal at everything he does," he added.
Alongside Caicedo and Palmer, Shearer picked four players from league leaders Liverpool in his team (Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Mohamed Salah), and three from surprise package Nottingham Forest (Mats Sels, Nikola Milenkovic, Chris Wood).
To complete his line-up, the former England international selected Fulham's American full-back Antonee Robinson and Brentford forward Bryan Mbuemo.
He also named Liverpool boss Arne Slot as his manager of the season so far.
"When influential long-term figures have left other clubs, we have sometimes seen a sharp decline. Not this time. Liverpool appear even harder to beat than they were under Jurgen Klopp," Shearer wrote of the Dutch coach.
Palmer and Caicedo's seasons so far
Both Palmer and Caicedo have been in superb form this season under Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea boss in the summer.
Palmer is Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League with seven goals, while the Englishman also has five assists to his name.
Caicedo, meanwhile, has impressed his dynamic and tireless displays in midfield. The Ecuador international currently ranks first for tackles made and won in the top flight, while he ranks second for duels won and third for interceptions.
His performances have led to him being compared to Chelsea legend N'Golo Kante, who made 269 appearances for the Blues between 2016 and 2023 and is widely regarded as one of the Premier League's greatest-ever holding midfielders.
“He’s the legs, the energy. He’s a little bit like N’Golo Kante, he closes space and squeezes the pitch high," former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy said of Caicedo earlier this month.
“People think Kante was a defensive midfielder but he wasn't. He was a box-to-box midfielder and what he does in the zone where he protects the back four and goes and fights with Romeo Lavia, he is remarkable," Cundy said.
"His lungs, energy, and quality on the ball, he could go on and be Chelsea’s player of the season," he added.
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