FEATURE: Will Serie A continue to be a happy hunting ground for out-of-favour Premier League stars? | OneFootball

In the last few years, Premier League to Serie A has become a very common route for players. More players than ever, who are becoming surplus to requirements in the Premier League are moving to Italy away from the glare of the scrutiny and unwanted headlines in England. The biggest example of this is Scott McTominay, who was continually mis-profiled at Manchester United for years but since coming to Italy, has found a new lease of life, firing Napoli to the Scudetto last season. In the transfer window that ended yesterday, we saw several of these moves too. While some like Kevin De Bruyne and Jamie Vardy have come for a fresh adventure, we look at those who have come to relaunch their careers. First is Roma’s Evan Ferguson who is on loan from Brighton. Once seen as a very promising Premier League talent, indifferent form and fitness has seen his stock fall massively. He has looked great so far in Italy and manager Gian Piero Gasperini has already made him the starting striker. A good scoring season could rekindle his career. Interestingly, Fabian Hurzeler, the Brighton manager has kept the door open for his return to the club. The story of Rasmus Højlund is similar. Signed by Manchester United for big money from Atalanta, the young Dane saw the goals and confidence dry up in his two seasons in the Premier League. He’s back in Italy now, with Napoli. It’s a familiar setting, given his success previously with Atalanta. However, he does have Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Lucca to compete with for a starting spot. t. Being away from the scrutiny of the English media is expected to do him a world of good.Christopher Nkunku was the joint top scorer in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig before joining Chelsea, where he never looked the part. Milan have signed him this summer and they will be hoping that he discovers his old fire and brings a spark to the Milan attack. Leon Bailey is an interesting one. When he signed for Villa, he was initially very impressive but since then form has seemingly deserted him. Unai Emery considered him excess to requirements at Villa and hence, like Ferguson, he too has been sent on loan to Roma. It’ll be interesting to see how this one works out, given that Gasperini usually manages to get the best out of nearly all forwards who play for him. Kaulik Mitra | GIFN