Those player still getting paid by the club that really shouldn’t be there.
Many may slam Wayne Rooney’s £300,000-a-week wages at Manchester United as disgusting and whilst they might have a point, at least the England international is playing for the club every week.
It seems that at many Premier League sides there are forgotten players who are still picking up their pay cheque every week and yet never make it onto the field.
Here are the 10 in the English top tier currently stealing a living.
Bebe – Manchester United
For all those admirers of Sir Alex Ferguson’s transfer dealings there have been a fair amount of flops and this £7m man is still a United player despite having made just seven appearances in four years for the team.
Forget Eric Djemba-Djemba, David Bellion or Kleberson, this Portuguese disaster may be the worst of all Ferguson’s signings.
Damien Duff – Fulham
This once superb winger has endured a rapid and steep fall from grace since the glory days at Chelsea and many think the Irishman has already retired as opposed to being a bit-part player at Craven Cottage.
At 35-years-old all the pace that once made Duff’s style so great has drained from his game and yet his is still one of the Cottagers’ highest earners.
Heurelho Gomes – Tottenham Hotspur
This Brazilian may get more criticism than is perhaps fair, but with Hugo Lloris and Brad Friedel ahead of the goalkeeper for a place between the sticks Gomes is most certainly wasted at White Hart Lane.
The South American is still very handsomely paid by Spurs despite the fact the 33-year-old has played just four times for the north London side in the last three seasons.
Hilario – Chelsea
Keeping on the theme of ‘keepers and it’s the Blues third choice who seems to be perfectly happy to go to training and pick up a wage – although at 38-years-old who can blame him?
The Portuguese stopper has nearly been at Stamford Bridge for eight years and yet has managed just 39 appearances in that time.
Jos Hooiveld – Southampton
The Saints’ rapid return to the English top tier from League One has meant there are still a number of players in their squad who are really not good enough for the division.
Hooiveld is probably one of them, who is behind Dejan Lovren and Jose Fonte by some way in terms of talent and is perhaps still being paid as a thank you for previous years’ work.
Alan Hutton – Aston Villa
Yes Villa fans this Scot is still being paid – rather well – by your club and in fairness there are a host of expensive veterans that could have been chosen from the Villans.
It’s less Hutton’s fault and more the fact that manager Paul Lambert doesn’t want the right-back any more, with the 29-year-old failing to play once since the former Norwich City man took charge in 2012.
Sylvain Marveaux – Newcastle United
This will be particularly disappointing to Magpies fans as there was so much expected of the French winger when he first joined, with Liverpool also being linked before Marveaux’s St James’ Park switch.
The 27-year-old has made just three starts in all competitions this term to show just how little the Frenchman is now regarded in the north east.
Charles N’Zogbia – Aston Villa
Another Villa man now and one that is even more of a disappointment as so much was expected of the attacking midfielder after great spells with Newcastle and Wigan Athletic.
Lambert didn’t like N’Zogbia either though, who at 27-years-old would presumably still have much to offer and yet doesn’t even have a squad number at Villa Park.
Gabriel Obertan – Newcastle United
A winger of which much was expected at Old Trafford, before that fizzled out and then much was expected on Tyneside, before that inevitably fizzled out as well – before the Frenchman has even turned 26.
Obertan has made just five appearances for Alan Pardew’s side this term – all from the bench – and a career in the Champiosnhip probably beckons.
Chu-Young Park – Arsenal
One of the most bizarre transfers of recent times as the Gunners paid £5m for the striker in 2011 and have since played the 28-year-old just seven times.
Park is too old to be a prospect for the future and yet during a time when the north London club are struggling for attackers, they are unwilling to play the South Korean – who has 24 goals in 62 caps for the national team.
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