Guzan and Cameron will be busy, but Altidore and others have to work to do if they are to shine this season • NBC pundits predict Manchester United resurgence • Premier League team-by-team previews 2014-15

DeAndre Yedlin is on his way to the Premier League, just not quite yet. The 21-year-old Seattle full-back, who caught the eye with a pair of impressive performances off the bench for the USA during this summer’s World Cup, completed a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur this week, only to then be loaned straight back to the Sounders.

He has signed a four-year contract with Spurs, and is expected move to England next summer. For now, though, with rumoured transfer targets Matt Besler and Graham Zusi having decided to stay in MLS, there are just seven American players listed among the first-team squads of Premier League teams for the season which kicks off on Saturday. Here, we take a look at what each of them can expect from the coming campaign.

Jozy Altidore (Sunderland)

The last 12 months have not been kind. The striker struggled badly to adjust after arriving in the north-east from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar last summer, scoring just once in 31 Premier League games.

He seemed to be getting his confidence back after linking up with the US national team in May, playing well in friendly wins over Azerbaijan, Turkey and Nigeria. Altidore found the net twice against the African champions, reminding fans how effective he can be when he uses his size and strength with conviction. But then he tore his hamstring, 20 minutes into the USA’s World Cup opener against Ghana. His tournament was over before it had even begun.

Now Altidore faces an uphill battle just to win back a place in Sunderland’s starting XI. Steven Fletcher and Connor Wickham both look to be ahead of him in the pecking order – although Wickham is the subject of interest from elsewhere – and manager Gus Poyet is keen to bring back Fabio Borini after the Italian striker’s successful loan spell last year. For now, Altidore will need to prove he can be effective off the bench.

Geoff Cameron (Stoke City)

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, right, and Stoke City’s Geoff Cameron compete for the ball. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Versatility can be an asset, but for Cameron it is threatening to become a hindrance. Although he started at right-back for Stoke last season, he has always viewed himself as being more effective in central defence or midfield. That is where Jürgen Klinsmann chose to use him during the World Cup and, one calamitous sliced clearance against Portugal aside, Cameron acquitted himself well.

During his summer vacation, Cameron was quoted as saying that he wanted to move into a more central position for his club. But since returning to preseason training, Cameron has stressed that he will be happy to play in whichever role his manager, Mark Hughes, needs him most.

That will probably be at right-back to begin with, although the arrival of Phil Bardsley from Sunderland means there is now more competition at that position. One way or another, Hughes should find room for Cameron in his starting XI most weeks. The 28-year-old was one of the club’s most consistent performers last season, and he is popular with the home support.

Cody Cropper (Southampton)

Although yet to play a game of senior club football, Cropper has begun to make waves. The 6ft 3in goalkeeper, who turned 21 in February, was called up to train with the US national team ahead of their game against Bosnia last summer, on the strength of some impressive performances for the country’s Under-20 team.

Cropper has made a handful of appearances on the bench for Southampton, but his prospects of getting a game this year do not look too good, after the club spent £10m to sign the England international Fraser Forster from Celtic.

Brad Friedel (Tottenham)

Still going at the age of 43, the goalkeeper could this season become the oldest player ever to play in the Premier League. Of course, he would need to find a way back into the Tottenham team first. As things stand, he is expected to be the club’s third-choice this season, behind Hugo Lloris and the newly-acquired Michael Vorm.

Spurs were open about their intentions for Friedel when he signed a new one-year contract over the summer. A statement on the club’s website said Friedel would “become a club ambassador with a particular focus on our work in his native United States”. He has already begun doing commentary work for BBC Radio and although he remains in remarkable shape for his age, he is unlikely to get on the field unless both Lloris and Vorm get hurt.

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Brad Guzan dives at the feet of Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool at Villa Park. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

He might only be the USA’s second-best goalkeeper, but that still leaves room for Brad Guzan to be a very good player indeed. The Villa stopper was performing well enough in the spring of 2013 that some Americans wanted to see him replace Tim Howard as the nation’s first-choice. Klinsmann never publicly entertained the idea, but the USA coach does expect the 29-year-old Guzan to take over whenever Howard stands down.

For now, Guzan’s primary concern will be trying to keep Villa in the top-flight. He made 110 saves last season but still conceded 61 goals behind a shambolic defence. The signing of Fulham cast-off Philippe Senderos does not inspire much confidence that things will be better this time around.

Tim Howard (Everton)

Six-and-a-half weeks after having his heart broken by Romelu Lukaku, Howard can look forward to playing alongside the Belgium striker once more. Everton smashed their transfer record to upgrade Lukaku’s loan from Chelsea into a permanent deal, and it is hard to imagine the board sanctioning such a transfer unless they believed that manager, Roberto Martínez, could build on last season’s fifth place.

But the Toffees’ challenge this season is a tall one. Just to repeat last season’s achievement, they would either need to hold off Tottenham and Manchester United, or overtake at least one of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. This while also dealing with the additional strains of a Europa League campaign, something they did not have to worry about last season.

Another strong season from Howard would certainly go a long way towards achieving that goal. His 75% saves-to-shots ratio in 2013-14 was fourth-best in the Premier League, and everyone knows what wonders he went on to perform in Brazil. Howard turned 35 in March, but he is not showing any signs of slowing down yet.

Brek Shea (Stoke)

Will Shea still be a Stoke player by the time the transfer window closes? Perhaps, although if so it might only be because of a lack of interest from elsewhere. The Potters are understood to be keen to offload the 24-year-old midfielder, who has played just three Premier League games since joining from FC Dallas in January 2013. Last year he spent eight games on loan at Championship club Barnsley, but that arrangement was brought to a premature end after he made an offensive gesture toward own team’s fans during a 5-0 defeat to Huddersfield.