FIFA 17 Ultimate Team: FUT Ratings Refresh 1st Batch, Player Upgrades Revealed

Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and Philippe Coutinho are among a host of Premier League stars who have received ratings upgrades in the first batch of changes in FIFA 17's Ultimate Team Ratings Refresh.

EA Sports revealed the lineup of players upgraded on Friday:

The list also includes the likes of Sadio Mane, N'Golo Kante and Harry Kane among those whose excellent campaigns have seen them rewarded with improved ratings in FIFA 17's first update.

Indeed, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are the teams that benefit the most, with multiple players for each side seeing their overall ratings increase.

On FIFA 16's Ultimate Team Winter Upgrades, a player's in-form card would improve by the same amount as his base card, provided his upgraded rating was equal to or higher than the in-form rating, so the same could be the case here.

Read on for a closer look at some of the most notable upgrades in the Premier League-themed batch, but first here is every player who has received a boost to their ratings:

Player	Old Rating	New Rating	Position	Club
Upgrades
Dele Alli	80	82	CAM	Tottenham Hotspur
Marcos Alonso	77	79	LM>LWB	Chelsea
Hector Bellerin	79	80	RB	Arsenal
Philippe Coutinho	85	86	CAM>LW	Liverpool
Diego Costa	85	86	ST	Chelsea
Jermain Defoe	80	81	ST	Sunderland
Christian Eriksen	84	85	CAM	Tottenham Hotspur
Roberto Firmino	82	83	CF>ST	Liverpool
Idrissa Gueye	76	82	CM	Everton
Eden Hazard	88	89	LM>LW	Chelsea
Jordan Henderson	80	82	CM>CDM	Liverpool
Ander Herrera	82	83	CM	Manchester United
Harry Kane	84	85	ST	Tottenham Hotspur
N'Golo Kante	81	83	CM	Chelsea
Adam Lallana	82	83	CAM>CM	Liverpool
Sadio Mane	79	82	RM>RW	Liverpool
Joel Matip	82	83	CB	Liverpool
Victor Moses	77	78	LM>RWB	Chelsea
Danny Rose	80	81	LB	Tottenham Hotspur
Alexis Sanchez	87	88	LW>ST	Arsenal
Kasper Schmeichel	81	82	GK	Leicester City
Antonio Valencia	80	82	RB	Manchester United
Virgil van Dijk	79	82	CB	Southampton
Kyle Walker	81	82	RB	Tottenham Hotspur
Alvaro Negredo	80	81	ST	Middlesbrough
Wilfried Zaha	79	80	RM	Crystal Palace
Nordin Amrabat	79	80	ST>RM	Watford
Heung Min Son	79	80	LM	Tottenham Hotspur
Victor Wanyama	78	79	CDM	Tottenham Hotspur
Divock Origi	78	79	ST	Liverpool
Michail Antonio	76	78	RM	West Ham United
Tom Heaton	76	78	GK	Burnley
Troy Deeney	76	78	ST	Watford
Marcus Rashford	76	77	ST	Manchester United
Robert Snodgrass	75	77	RM	West Ham United
Mohamed Elneny	74	77	CDM	Arsenal
Kelechi Iheanacho	74	76	ST	Manchester City
Jordan Pickford	73	76	GK	Sunderland
Darren Randolph	74	75	GK	West Ham United
Oriol Romeu Vidal	74	75	CDM	Southampton
Harry Arter	74	75	CM	Bournemouth
Viktor Fischer	74	75	LW	Middlesbrough
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg	74	75	CM	Southampton
Danny Simpson	74	75	RB	Leicester City
Alex Iwobi	70	74	LM	Arsenal
Harry Winks	64	70	CM	Tottenham Hotspur
Joel Castro Pereira	57	67	GK	Manchester United
Tom Davies	58	64	CM	Everton
Downgrades
Nicolas Otamendi	85	84	CB	Manchester City
Steve Mandanda	85	84	GK	Crystal Palace
Bastian Schweinsteiger	83	82	CM	Manchester United
Claudio Bravo	85	83	GK	Manchester City
John Terry	84	82	CM	Chelsea
Robert Huth	80	78	CB	Leicester City
Wes Morgan	79	77	CB	Leicester City
Lazar Markovic	78	76	RM	Hull City
Oumar Niasse	77	75	ST	Hull City
John O'Shea	76	74	CB	Sunderland
Stephen Ireland	76	74	CAM	Stoke City
Evandro Goebel	76	74	CM	Hull City
Bakary Sako	75	72	LM	Crystal Palace
Gerhard Tremmel	75	71	GK	Swansea City

Idrissa Gueye, Everton

One of the biggest increases in the first batch is Idrissa Gueye's rating rising from 76 overall to 82.

Unsurprisingly, such a dramatic improvement has seen all of his base stats improve—all have them have increased by two, except his pace, which has risen four from 74 to 78.

The Senegal international's defending and physical stats remain his strongest attributes at 80 apiece thanks to his Kante-esque performances this season.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Like the Frenchman, Gueye has seemingly boundless energy and is skilled at winning possession for his side—according to Squawka, Gueye has won 74 tackles and 45 interceptions in 20 Premier League outings this season.

Kante's stats are better in every department following his own upgrade from 82 to 83, but Gueye's significant boost demonstrates just how good he's been for the Toffees. 

Sadio Mane, Liverpool

Mane has also had a healthy boost from 79 to 82 after enjoying an excellent start to his Anfield career.

The Reds hailed his impressive form since arriving from Southampton in the summer:

His advanced role in Liverpool's front three has led to a positional change from right midfield to right wing, and his shooting and passing base stats have risen to 75 and 73, respectively, given his contributions in the final third.

Perhaps as a result of playing in manager Jurgen Klopp's high-energy pressing side, his physical stat has received the most significant upgrade from 67 to 75.

Mane's electric pace—which is now 93—makes him a deadly asset, and with improved dribbling, physicality and potency in front of goal, he's an even more impressive option to have in the team.

Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal

At 87, there was little room for Sanchez to improve and yet the Chilean has managed to earn himself an 88 rating overall after continued excellence this year.

The forward has been superb in front of goal and is the Premier League's top scorer thus far:

It's already the best league total he's achieved with the Gunners, and he's bagged three more in the UEFA Champions League—five more goals in all competitions will put him level with his first season with the Gunners on 25 goals, while six would mark this campaign as the most prolific of his career.

His improved goal output is reflected in his upgraded shooting stat, which has risen from a base of 82 to 84, though despite registering 16 assists in all competitions, his passing remains at 79—perhaps because he's maintained just 73 per cent accuracy in the Premier League, according to Squawka.

The 28-year-old's strength, tenacity and determination have shone through on numerous occasions this year, which could serve to explain his physical rating jumping from 74 to 78.

Sanchez's form this season has seen him receive three in-form cards with ratings of 88, 89 and 90. If this year's upgrades follow the same rules as last year, his upgrade will have a knock-on effect and they will each increase by one.

Having often led the line for Arsenal this season in place of Olivier Giroud, Sanchez has also received a positional change from left winger to striker.

As such, FUT players who haven't acquired any of his in-form cards this season can now unleash his frightening talent through the middle, where his 86 pace and 88 dribbling can wreak havoc.