Age 20 (23.01.99), Dijon
& France
Left-sided wide man who boosted
his reputation with a goal in his
side’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint-
Germain. He came through the
ranks at Lens and chose Dijon this
summer ahead of Monaco, Angers
and Parma. The son of Moroccan
and Mauritanian parents, he is a
French under-20 cap.TALENT SCOUT
Age 20 (23.08.99),
Anderlecht & Belgium
Determined to give first-team
opportunities to as many
homegrown talents as
possible, Anderlecht have
come up trumps with the
Belgo-Ghanaian left-winger.
A big favourite of the Parc
Astrid crowd, he may be
rather lightweight and lack
coolness in front of goal, but
he is a nightmare for full-
backs with his tricks, feints
and instantaneous changes
of direction.
Age 20 (18.12.98),
AZ & Holland
It says it all that the
Dutch under-21’s agent
is Mino Raiola, a man
who does not run the
affairs of duds. After
suffering a cruciate-
ligament injury early
in his career, he is firing
on all cylinders again
for AZ. A left-footer who
operates on the right,
he has explosive pace
and an ability to glide
past opponents.Age 21 (13.04.98),
Corinthians & Brazil
The Brazilian left-footer
has a surprisingly large
number of detractors,
with naysayers claiming
he is not big enough
for the European game.
Rumours, however,
abound that Corinthians
are looking to sell him
in January, possibly to
a team in France.
Age 22 (14.12.96),
Rennes (Fra) & Brazil
Still finding his feet in
Ligue 1 after moving
from Portuguese giants
Sporting for €21m, he is
a tremendously exciting
prospect. Discovered by
ex Porto, Barcelona and
Portugal playmaker-
turned-agent Deco,
who negotiated his
switch in 2016 from
Brazilian side Avai
to Vitoria Guimaraes
in Portugal.Age 19 (15.02.00), Shakhtar
Donetsk (Ukr) & Brazil
Cutting in from the right wing
to shoot accurately with his left
foot is a predictable manoeuvre,
yet defenders – even those at
the highest level – seem unable
to stop him. Nicknamed “The
Hurricane” in his homeland,
the under-20 international
was previously with Gremio,
and cost Shakhtar Donetsk
€10m when they signed him
earlier this year.Age 19 (29.02.00), Valencia
& Spain
Right-wing ace who earned
universal man-of-the-match
plaudits for his exceptional
performance in Valencia’s 4-1
win over Lille in the Champions
League. He gives his side a
large dose of directness and
change of rhythm, and scored
both goals as Spain saw off
Portugal in the Final of this
year’s Euro Under-19s.Age 22 (08.05.97),
Espanyol (Spa) &
Argentina
His father was of the
opinion that football
was a hit-or-miss career
path, but Vargas junior
has turned out to be
a brilliant left winger.
Crossed the Atlantic
in the close season,
quitting Velez Sarsfield
for Espanyol. In the
throes of establishing
himself in the senior
Argentinian squad.