Great midfielders are the lifeblood of any Premier League team - and every so often they join forces to become truly unstoppable.
A combination of creators and runners to destroyers and goalscorers; the top-flight has boasted some of the best in the business.
General view of Mount Rushmore6
talkSPORT's Mount Rushmore looks at the most influential and iconic things in sport, with presenter Max Scott selecting five (four is just not enough) in each topic
The rise of the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formations in English football has meant the midfield trio is now the norm for most elite clubs.
And talkSPORT's Max Scott has whittled down his list of thebest in his weekly series, Mount Rushmore or Less, where four isn't enough.
Whilst there are four of the most influential presidents in American history on the iconic sculpture, in this case we need a fifth pick.
1. Arsenal: Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva
Premier League Starts Together: 44
Record: 31 Wins, 11 Draws, 2 Losses
Win Rate: 70.5%
Points Per Game (PPG): 2.36
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"First up for me, it's three of the midfielders from Arsenal's Invincibles, title-winning squad in 2003-04," Scott explained.
"Let's start with Robert Pires, somebody who I think lived in the shadow of Thierry Henry a little bit. I don't necessarily think he minded that, but in that title-winning season, that invincible title-winning season, he scored 14 goals and got nine assists.
"Gilberto Silva, the invisible wall, one of those unsung heroes with that defensive capability to break up play and technically gifted as well.
"Then, one of my favourite midfielders in Premier League history is Patrick Vieira - In terms of my living memory, he was the first midfielder I saw that had the physical dominance and prowess to absolutely dominate opponents, but then the technicality, or the technical ability, and the grace with the ball moving forward, some magnificent flicks in his link-up play with the amazing players around him, most notably Thierry Henry, was a sight to behold.
"So I know Arsenal at the time didn't always just exclusively play with a midfield three, but from that invincible winning squad, that midfield three was unbelievable."
Robert Pires, Gilberto, Edu and Patrick Vieira of Arsenal with the Premier League Trophy after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City on May 15, 2004 in London6
Robert Pires, Gilberto, Edu and Patrick Vieira of Arsenal with the Premier League Trophy after the Premier League match between Arsenal and Leicester City on May 15, 2004 in London
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2. Man City - Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva
Premier League Starts Together: 56
Record: 41 Wins, 8 Draws, 7 Losses
Win Rate: 73.2%
Points Per Game (PPG): 2.34
The tactical backbone of Pep Guardiola's record-breaking City side, which helped claim a historic four-in-a-row Premier League title run.
Rodri controlled the tempo at the base of the midfield, while Bernardo Silva's press resistance and tactical flexibility to play multiple positions allowed De Bruyne to pick up pockets of space to devastating effect.
"A midfield trio which is arguably the most complete midfield trio we've seen in recent Premier League history," Scott surmised.
"Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, not David Silva. I'm more of a Bernardo fan. Why? They won four consecutive Premier League titles; never been done before.
"If I'm putting in the Arsenal-Invincibles midfield trio, I have to put in this Man City midfield trio that did what no one has ever done before, and I tell you what, I don't think it will ever be done again.
"All magnificent players in their own right, they are part of the foundations of what Manchester City have become in recent years."
Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva of Manchester City celebrate after the goal scored by Erling Haaland during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City6
De Bruyne, Rodri and Bernardo formed the foundation for Man City's 2022–23 Treble campaign.
The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are carved into the stone in South Dakota, chosen for their representation of the most important events in the United States' history.
As a result, fans use the idea to create their own version to list the most influential or iconic games and people that define their selected categories.
Here, though, talkSPORT argues five is not enough, so more or less this is Mount Rushmore.
3. Man United: Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Roy Keane
Premier League Starts Together: 112
Record: 74 Wins, 24 Draws, 14 Losses
Win Rate: 66.1%
Points Per Game (PPG): 2.20
Scott continued: "Up next is a Manchester United midfield trio, which I acknowledge usually played in a four.
"It's Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane. So it means Becks, Sir David... I'm leaving you out, I'm afraid, because you went off to the Galacticos and you left Manchester United.
"So I have to pick those three players that played together for 12 years in that time, won 12 major trophies; everything that you could possibly want to win, including a Champions League.
"Roy Keane, one of the greatest ever central midfielders, a standard bearer, a tone setter for Sir Alex Ferguson during his most successful period at the Football Club and represented a brand of football which we don't see these days, where football was definitely a contact sport and not full of this sort of wet white behaviour of everyone rolling around on the floor like prima donnas.
"And he's taken that attitude into his life as a pundit, and he's much adored and rightly so for that.
"Paul Scholes, I think in some ways, was quite underrated - one of the best passers that the world has ever seen of a football.
"A wand of a right foot and could do everything and scored some absolute screamers - one of the greatest to ever play in the Premier League and then Ryan Giggs.
"He played almost a thousand games for Manchester United, scored 168 goals, 268 assists in the Premier League alone, one of the greats.
"The fact that he played to the age of 40 and he was still effective right to the very end, that for me is Premier League heritage."
Paul Scholes of Manchester United celebrates scoring the first goal with Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs during the AXA FA Cup match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on February 14, 2004 in Manchester, England6
Scholes, Keane and Giggs won six Premier League titles while part of the same squad at Old Trafford
4. Chelsea: Frank Lampard, Michael Essien & Claude Makelele
Premier League Starts Together: 39
Record: 27 Wins, 10 Draws, 2 Losses
Win Rate: 69.2%
Points Per Game (PPG): 2.33
This Chelsea trio suffered only two defeats in 39 league matches when all three were on the pitch in the 2005/06 title-winning season.
Scott told talkSPORT: "Frank Lampard, 177 Premier League goals, 119 Premier League assists - the greatest ever goal-scoring midfielder that this country has ever seen.
"Makelele, centre defensive midfielder, one of the first of that breed that became famous and hugely well paid for playing a defensive role; that CDM became known as the Makelele role.
"He's got a legacy, and the people that follow Rodri, for example, all these great players playing since CDM, I think, is largely down to Claude Makelele. Think of N'Golo Kante and the rich history that Rory Jennings will bang on about Chelsea in terms of having midfielders.
"For me it starts with Claude Makelele, and then there's Michael Essien - Ghanaian phenomenon who had an unbelievable engine.
"He had an unbelievable right boat on him, and so together as a trio they were magnificent, and they typify what Chelsea became under Roman Abramovich.
"I know Frank Lampard was there before, but that brutal winning mentality under Jose Mourinho and Roman Abramovich, wow!"
Chelsea's John Terry, (L) Frank Lampard, (2nd L) Claude Makelele (3rd L) Joe Cole, (3rd R) Michael Essien (2nd R) and John Obi Mikel (R) celebrate with the FA Cup Trophy after beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in London, 19 May 20076
Chelsea's John Terry, (L) Frank Lampard, (2nd L) Claude Makelele (3rd L) Joe Cole, (3rd R) Michael Essien (2nd R) and John Obi Mikel (R) celebrate with the FA Cup Trophy after beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in London, 19 May 2007
Mount Rushmore of less. Liverpool: Gini Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson
Premier League Starts Together: 34
Record: 26 Wins, 6 Draws, 2 Losses
Win Rate: 76.5%
Points Per Game (PPG): 2.47
Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice engine-room trio did the unsung work behind Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mané.
Wijnaldum, Fabinho and then-Reds captain Henderson were Liverpool's midfield combination that started their 2019 Champions League final win over Tottenham in Madrid.
In fact, their only two league defeats when starting together the following season, as Klopp's men won the title, came after clinching the trophy (against Man City and Arsenal in July 2020).
Scott said: "As great players that they are, they don't have that stardust blockbuster name.
"But what they did do is provide the support and the backbone for one of the most entertaining sides we've seen in recent Premier League history.
(TOP L TO R) Liverpool's Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson, Liverpool's Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino, Liverpool's Cameroon defender Joel Matip, Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah, (BOTTOM L TO R) Liverpool's Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Liverpool's English defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson and Liverpool's Scottish defender Andrew Robertson pose before the UEFA Champions League final football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on June 1, 20196
Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho were three of the quintessential Klopp midfielders
"You think about Mane, Firmino, Salah, but behind them, you've got the dogged pressing and winning the ball back and leadership and standards of Jordan Henderson, Wijnaldum and Fabinho.
"They won the Champions League in 2019. Then they broke the dominance of City by winning the Premier League in 2020.
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"While we rave about the front three, and rightly so, they were magnificent to watch as a forward three; behind them are the kind of unsung heroes of those three midfielders.
"And so for me, they have to be mentioned in the list of midfield trio greats in Premier League history. Hats off to you boys."
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