Newcastle United: 8 Best Players Of The Season So Far

5. Gabriel Obertan

Literally the most unlikely of all heroes for Newcastle, the former Man Utd man was all but on his way out this summer, having been left off a key pre-season tour and being basically shown the door by Alan Pardew. But then injuries and lack of form meant that he made the bench, and after a couple of impressive cameos, he's now genuinely being considered a first-team option. The problem with Obertan is that it's never quite clear which version of him will turn up: we could get the prospecting attacking who ran Leicester and Stoke ragged, and who was a big part of the defensive performance against City, or we could get the anonymous soul who turned up at Spurs. There's literally no gambling on how he will play, because it doesn't seem to have any real cause or stigma. But he has still been one of the best players this season: his running has been brilliant and helped turn Pardew's possession football into something more dangerous too and it is no longer surprising to see his name suggested for the starting line up.