Return of the Big No 9: Towering centre forwards once dominated the Premier League but in the last decade their numbers have fallen by HALF... yet Erling Haaland at Man City and Darwin Nunez at Liverpool are now heralding a throwback

Huge strikers once roamed the Premier League in packs, terrorising defenders wherever they went, but they have become a much rarer species in the past decade.

At the peak, there were well over 30 centre forwards of six foot two or taller operating in the top flight in 2011/12, but the number fell steadily to well under half that figure last season.

The shift reflects the more possession-based and counter-pressing game adopted by teams in the Premier League in recent seasons, so the need for a target man who can wrestle defenders and gain possession at the top end of the pitch has diminished.