The Sublime to the Ridiculous - The Premier League's Best & Worst Debutants

With the English Premier League season now underway a number of new recruits were displayed to the fans this weekend, with some adorning themselves more than others on their big debut.

Last night's man of the match cameo from £35m man Sergio Aguero for Manchester City will have assured the supporters of his worth and capability in replacing Carlos Tevez, if that indeed proves to be the case. However, while the Argentine's brace from the bench caught the headlines, some of this summer's signings failed to impress and had days they would rather quickly forget than fondly remember.

WhoScored.com takes a look at those who shone and those who barely flickered first time out for their new clubs in a statistical review of the best and worst debutants from the Premier League's opening fixtures.

Goalkeeping Greats and Gaffes

Michel Vorm made his Premier League debut for Swansea having signed from Utrecht in the summer to replace the outgoing Doris De Vries. Despite conceding 4 goals in a second half rout to Manchester City, Vorm was superb in goal, keeping the score-line down to single figures by making 12 saves, of which some were exceptional. The fact that he had more touches of the ball than any Man City player tells the story of the game, and second period in particular, in which Vorm racked up a WhoScored rating of 8- the best of the losing side.

Villa's replacement for Brad Friedel saw the club replace experience and proven Premier League quality with exactly that, in Shay Given. The Irishman kept a clean sheet in his side's stalemate with Fulham, producing 5 saves to keep the scores level compared to just 1 from Schwarzer in the opposing goal. The 35-year-old proved his reflexes had not left him with some fantastic reaction stops as well as making 1 good claim in his man of the match performance.

There is no doubt that new United stopper David De Gea, entrusted with filling the considerable void left by the retired Edwin van der Sar, will have been hoping for somewhat of an easy ride against West Brom. His big money move was questioned after errors led to goals in the Community Shield victory over Man City and sadly for the young Spaniard, history repeated itself. Despite getting the relatively simple task he would have been hoping for, making just 2 saves and 1 good claim, De Gea produced another gaffe to allow West Brom debutant Shane Long to score with a shot that squirmed under the keeper when it really shouldn't have, finishing with a WhoScored rating of 5.4.

Defensive Dreams and Disasters

The quality of former United defender Wes Brown has never been in question, despite doubts over the England internationals fitness. However, Brown proved more than capable of keeping up with the pace of Premier League action in his debut against Liverpool, making 3 tackles, 4 interceptions, 8 clearances and 1 block. His distribution also stood up to the test with a fantastic 83% pass accuracy for a centre back, as well as completing 6 of 8 attempted long balls.

Another experienced defender who has been severely hampered by injuries is Jonathan Woodgate, who proved that, if he can stay fit, he may be one of the summer's best signings. The free transfer from Tottenham to Stoke, along with Brown, had a stern opening test against Chelsea but was part of a back-line that successfully shut out the Blues in Villas-Boas' first game in charge. The former England international made 4 tackles, 4 interceptions, 6 clearances and 2 blocks to earn a WhoScored rating of 7.7.

Norwich's new Manchester United loanee Ritchie de Laet will want to forget his debut for the newly promoted club pretty swiftly. The youngster first dallied on the ball to surrender possession to Franco Di Santo deep inside his own half before hauling down the Wigan man to give away a penalty, duly despatched by the hosts. While a pas accuracy of 80% from the back is highly encouraging, the Belgian made just 1 tackle, 0 interceptions and was effective with none of his 5 attempted clearances.

Another new recruit for a Premier League newcomer, this time QPR's former West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon, also had a nightmare start. Involved in a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bolton, the Wales international exacerbated matters by netting an own goal to help the Trotters on their way. As well as making just 1 tackle, Gabbidon was successful with a dismal 50% of his attempted passes on his way to a lowly WhoScored rating of 5.5.

Midfield Mastery and Misery

Chris Eagles will have been pleased that his Bolton debut came in a 4-0 victory over QPR, and an assist for the former Burnley man for Gary Cahill's emphatic opener certainly eased him into the game. Said lay-off was one of 67 touches in a high involvement for the wide man, whose 1 key pass and 3 dribbles going forward were backed up by a decent defensive shift, making 2 tackles.

Sebastian Larsson was delighted to play party pooper at Anfield on the opening day after Liverpool had looked set to run riot over Sunderland. The Swede netted a fabulous volleyed equaliser to earn his new side a share of the spoils but also excelled in his distribution, with a pass accuracy of 91%. A further 2 key passes, 4 accurate crosses and 5 accurate long balls ensured that the ex-Birmingham midfielder was a constant threat for Steve Bruce's side.

In the same game, Liverpool new-boy Charlie Adam pulled the strings for the hosts in place of Steven Gerrard. His man of the match display saw him have more touches than any other player with 85, as well as making 2 key passes, attempting 2 shots and completing 3 accurate crosses. He also worked tirelessly in defence, contributing with 3 tackles and 3 interceptions to boot.

Where Adam sparkled, former Black Cat Jordan Henderson somewhat failed to catch the eye. While his distribution was superb, with a pass accuracy of 87%, his involvement was much less effective. Taking just 39 touches, Henderson failed to register a single shot, key pass or dribble going forward, as well as not contributing with any tackles, interceptions or clearances for the home side.

Sensational and Senseless Strikers

Undoubtedly the most eye-catching of all the opening weekend debutants was Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, who single-handedly transformed a fairly even tie with Swansea into a run-around for the Premier League newcomers. In a 30 minute cameo, the £35m man netted twice from a total of 5 shots (3 on target), as well as assisting David Silva's third with one of 2 key passes. He also managed to win 2 tackles in his short time on the pitch, suggesting that he may be willing and able to replace the hard graft of fellow countryman Carlos Tevez at Eastlands.

Gervinho's Arsenal debut, if unspectacular, was certainly going off without a hitch until a scrap, which eventuated in a slap to Joey Barton, saw him sent off late in the game. Prior to that point Gervinho had shown his threat from wide areas by completing 4 dribbles and attempting 5 crosses, though only 1 was accurate. However, failing to muster a shot from an advanced position in his side's disappointing 0-0 draw and not contributing in a defensive sense led him to a WhoScored rating of just 5.7.