When it was confirmed the Premier League was safe to return, thoughts turned to how the players would perform after such an unprecedented break. Would those that were in-form pre-lockdown lose momentum or manage to carry on as usual? Would the break offer those that were struggling the chance to re-group?
Ahead of the last round of Premier League games on Sunday, we can now reveal the best rated Premier League XI post-lockdown. Players must have started at least five games since the restart to be eligible for the XI.
Goalkeeper
While all the talk about whether it should be Dean Henderson replacing Jordan Pickford as England's No.1, Burnley's Nick Pope will feel he has just as good a chance. Burnley have enjoyed another superb campaign and Pope has been in particuarly good form post-lockdown. The 28-year-old has kept four clean sheets in eight games since the restart and averages 3.6 saves per game in that time.
Defenders
Frank Lampard has used Cesar Azpilicueta in a variety of positions of late but he slots in the XI in his prefered position of right-back. The experienced Spaniard has registered three assists in eight league appearances, as many as in 27 outings pre-lockdown. Not only that, but Azpilicueta averages 4.3 tackles and interceptions combined per game in that time and only three players have completed more crosses (excluding corners).
James Tarkowski has been compared to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk by his Burnley manager since the restart and the 27-year-old has generally been in superb form all season for the Clarets. Tarkowski has won more aerial duels than any other defender since the restart (48) and has doubled his goal contribution for the campaign in eight outings from his tally of two from 29 appearances before the break.
Tarkowski is joined in the XI by his former Burnley, team-mate Michael Keane, who has been much-improved since the break. The Everton defender has completed both more clearances (56) and headed clearances (32) than any other player in the Premier League post-lockdown and has two WhoScored Man of the Match awards in that time.
Sticking with Everton to round off the back four is Lucas Digne, who is making a late charge for our Premier League team of the season. The Everton left-back has picked up two assists since the restart, while averaging 4 clearances per game. Digne has impressively only won one fewer aerial duel than Virgil van Dijk (41) in the Premier League since the restart.
Midfielders
Allant Saint-Maximin has been a whirlwind of excitement since joining Newcastle last summer and there is a case to make for him being one of the signings of the season. The 23-year-old has played a direct hand in four goals since lockdown, including a hat-trick of assists in just 62 minutes against Bournemouth. Moreover, there have been nine instances of players reaching double figures for dribbles completed in the Premier League this season and Saint-Maximin has accounted for two of those alone post-lockdown. Of players to have started more than once post-lockdown, only Adama Traore is completing a dribble more frequently than Saint-Maximin (every 13.5 minutes of action).
Bruno Fernandes has no-doubt been the catalyst for Manchester United's top four push since his arrival at the start of the year and he has picked up from where he left off pre-lockdown. The 25-year-old is one of three players to have scored or assisted nine goals in the Premier League post-lockdown.
Kevin De Bruyne has registered three assists in eight league appearances post-lockdown as he desperately chases down Thierry Henry's Premier League record for most assists in a single campaign. He may indeed feel left down by his Manchester City team-mates that he hasn't already surpassed the Frenchman heading into the final game having created the most clear-cut chances (9) and registered the most key passes (30) since the restart.
Raheem Sterling has been in red hot form since the restart and a return of eight goals in as many outings to set a new personal record for goals in a single Premier League campaign. While Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez have not been as consistent as Pep Guardiola would like at this stage of the season, Sterling has certainly delievered the goods more often than not for last season's Premier League champions.
Strikers
Anthony Martial is starting deliver on his early promise on a consistent basis for Manchester United, repaying the faith shown by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club's leading striker. Martial, like Fernandes, has played a direct hand in nine goals since the restart - the joint most in the division. Furthermore, only one player has managed more touches in the opposition penalty area than Martial (59) in the Premier League post-lockdown.
Michail Antonio has been in career-best form since the restart, level with Raheem Sterling for most goals scored in the Premier League (8). The 30-year-old has fired West Ham to safety, leading from the front with pace and power. In fact, only two players have won possession in the attacking third more times than the West Ham front man (10). Since the restart, Antonio has become the first West Ham player to score a Premier League hat-trick in more than four years and first for the club to score in three straight top-flight games in more than three years.
