Potential Young Stars of 2011

2010 is almost at an end and looking back there are many examples of young players who rose to prominence in what has been an eventful footballing year. At the turn of the year the likes of Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Gregory Van Der Wiel, Gareth Bale and Joe Hart were virtual unknowns outside of their domestic leagues. However, their performances in 2010 have propelled them to super-stardom and they are now widely regarded as being amongst the elite in world football. In this article I will be going through some highly rated youngsters in world football who I feel have the potential to propel themselves on to the world stage in 2011.

GK. David De Gea – Atletico Madrid

20 year old De Gea is a product of Athletico Madrid’s youth team. He made his debut for the first team at the age of 18 and has since established himself as Athletico Madrid’s number one. He starred in the team’s Europa League league success in 2010 seeing off Liverpool in the semi-finals and Fulham in the final. He also impressed in his team’s UEFA Super Cup victory over Inter Milan, saving a last minute penalty from Diego Milito.

Interestingly, in 2009 De Gea was fourth choice behind Gregory Coupet, Angel Bernabe and Leo Franco, however due to a crippling injury crisis, he was given his chance to impress, and has since established himself as first choice. De Gea has been constantly linked with a big money move to Manchester United as a long term replacement for Edwin Van Der Sar, and big things are expected from him in 2011.

RB. Cesar Azpilicueta – Marseille

Young Spaniard Azpilicueta made his debut for his hometown club Osasuna in 2007. He started off as a midfielder but eventually cemented his place in the Osasuna team at right-back. He has represented Spain at under-17, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels and was part of the side that won the UEFA under-19 Championship in 2007.

Azpilicueta’s impressive form in La Liga resulted in a growing reputation around Europe and he was soon being linked to moves to Barcelona, Manchester City and Arsenal. However, in June 2010 Azpilicueta completed a €6 million move to French Champions Marseille.


CB. Mikel San Jose – Athletic Bilbao

San Jose, like Azpilicueta, was part of the Spain side that won the UEFA under-19 Championship in 2007. He started his career off at Athletic Bilbao, but at the age of 18 he caught the eye of Rafael Benitez at Liverpool and signed for the club in August 2007. Although San Jose was a regular in the reserves, he found first team opportunities very difficult to come by with the likes of Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel ahead of him in the pecking order.

He was soon loaned back to Bilbao to gain first team experience. He truly blossomed in his second spell at the club and became an important part of the first team. As a result he left Liverpool and signed permanently for Bilbao. San Jose’s story is similar to that of Gerard Pique who struggled to make an impact at Manchester United, before returning to Barcelona and proving his class.

CB. Mamadou Sakho – Paris Saint-Germain

French prospect Sakho made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain at the age 17. Amazingly at the same age he captained the side and thus became the youngest player ever to captain a side in Ligue 1. Sakho won his first trophy for the club in 2008, playing the full 90 minutes as Paris beat Lens in the 2008 Coupe de la Ligue Final. Arsene Wenger is thought to be tracking Sakho’s progress and he was strongly linked with a move to Arsenal in 2009. Inter Milan, Barcelona and Liverpool have also been credited with an interest.

Sakho has been active with the French national team at youth level and he made his debut for the senior team earlier this year coming on as a substitute against England. His style of play has lead to comparisons with French legends Lilian Thuram and Marcel Desailly.

LB. Kieran Gibbs - Arsenal

Dubbed “the new Ashley Cole”, big things are expected of Arsenal youngster Gibbs. He made his debut for the Gunners in 2007 and has been threatening to break through into the first team ever since. He has a good amount of big game experience for one so young and started in both legs of the Champions League Semi-Final against Manchester United in 2009. Gibbs made his England debut in August this year coming on as a substitute for Ashley Cole. An area of concern for Gibbs is his terrible injury record, but if he can maintain his fitness, he could soon break into Arsenal’s first team at the expense of the increasingly mistake-prone Gael Clichy.


DM. Craig Eastmond - Arsenal

Eastmond, like Gibbs is a product of the Arsenal Academy. He is a versatile player who can play at both right back and defensive midfield and is known for his great tenacity and work rate. He is a regular in Arsene Wenger’s Carling Cup teams and starred on his debut - a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at the Emirates. Wenger is thought to be a huge admirer of Eastmond, in particular his “intelligence and reading of the game”. Compared to Gibbs, Eastmond has very little big game experience, and it seems he has a lot of work to do before he breaks into the Arsenal first team. However, given Arsenal’s lack of defensively minded midfield players, 2011 could present a big opportunity for him to impress.

AM. Sergio Canales – Real Madrid

Another young Spanish prospect, Canales started his career at Racing Santander before securing a high profile move to Real Madrid. In his first full season at Racing, he scored four goals and provided four assists helping Racing avoid relegation. His coach at Racing said that Canales reminds him of Rafael van der Vaart while some suggest that his technique is very similar to that of Madrid legend Guti. Despite his obvious talent, Canales has found it very difficult to break into Madrid’s first team this season under Jose Mourinho. He is currently competing with German star Mesut Ozil for a first team birth, and with the return to fitness of Brazilian superstar Kaka imminent, opportunities may be even more limited. He will probably have an even tougher task breaking into the Spanish national team with their wealth of attacking talent. Going out on loan may be the best option for Canales if he is to fulfill his immense potential and make an impact in 2011.


CM. Thiago Alcantara - Barcelona

Italian born, Brazilian raised and has learnt his trade in the famed Barcelona Academy since 2004. The belief around the Camp Nou is that Thiago has the talent to soon be rivaling Ballon D’or candidate Xavi for a first team birth, his passing ability in particular drawing comparisons with the Barcelona legend. Thiago’s ability has not gone unnoticed and earlier this year Manchester United and Chelsea were said to be interested in his services. However, he has since committed himself to the club by signing a contract extension to remain at the Camp Nou. Upon signing the extension, Thiago told the Barcelona website "I'm very happy for the confidence the club has shown in me. I hope to do even greater things in the B team and consolidate myself in the first team. Now I am one step closer to my dream: to become a great footballer."


FW. Neymar - Santos

Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. There was national outrage when this precociously talented teenager was omitted from Brazil’s national squad for the 2010 World Cup. It is reported that Brazilian legends Romario and Pele had both urged national coach Dunga to take Neymar to South Africa. This just highlights the huge expectations that have been placed on Neymar’s young shoulders from football’s most successful nation.

Inevitably, comparisons have been drawn with other players, past and present including current superstar Robinho and former great Pele, probably due to the fact that they both also played for Santos. These comparisons are very premature as Neymar is still very unproven. But his talent is unquestionable. He made his debut for the Selecao in August 2010 against the USA and scored a header in a 2-0 victory. He has been continuously linked with a multi-million pound move to Chelsea over the past year, so don’t be surprised if we end up seeing Neymar plying his trade at Stamford Bridge in 2011.

FW. Stevan Jovetic - Fiorentina

This young Montenegrin first caught my eye after terrorising Liverpool’s defensive pairing of Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger in the 2009 Champions League Group Stages. He scored both goals in the first group game in a 2-0 victory for Fiorentina. He then went on to score two goals in the last 16 against eventual finalists Bayern Munich. Jovetic started his career at Partizan Belgrade and scored his first hattrick at the age of 17. He became Partizan’s club captain at the age of 18 before Fiorentina snapped him up for £7.3million in 2008. He has since taken Serie A by storm and a big money move to one of the giants of European football seems inevitable. Jovetic is currently injured having suffered a knee injury in pre season, but when he returns, the “new Roberto Baggio” should once again be making his mark both domestically and in Europe.


CF. Romelu Lukaku – Anderlecht

One of the most highly rated and coveted teenagers in world football, Romelu Lukaku appears to have the footballing world at his feet. At only 17 years of age, Lukaku stands at 6ft 4in and weighs in at over 14 stones. These physical attributes enable him to bully seasoned veterans week in week out in the Belgian top flight. He has also been blessed with formidable speed and he finished the top scorer in the Belgian league at the age of 16. He is also a regular for the Belgian national team and scored his first two international goals against Russia in November 2010. In total he has made 70 appearances for Anderlecht, plundering 32 goals and weighing in with 10 assists.

All of Europe’s footballing giants have been linked with Lukaku, but he has recently stated his admiration for Real Madrid duo Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo and has stated that it would be a “dream” to play for the Spanish giants. This has inevitably fuelled speculation of a January transfer to the world’s most successful club.

Reserves

GK. Wojciech Szczesny - Arsenal’s Polish international goalkeeper recently made his first team debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsene Wenger has said of him "I really believe in him that he will one day be Arsenal's No 1. He has all the qualities you want from a goalkeeper."

CF. Lacina Traore – Standing at 6ft 8in, the Ivorian powerhouse has made a huge impression in the Romanian league and has already won both the Romanian Cup and Supercups. He has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

AM. Eden Hazard – Belgian international Hazard terrorised Liverpool in their Europa League encounter in 2010. He has caught the eye of various clubs around Europe and it is reported that he has been personally recommended to Real Madrid by French legend Zinedine Zidane.

RB. Martin Kelly – A graduate of Liverpool’s youth academy, Kelly is a versatile defender who can play across the backline. He recently made his debut for the England under-21 side and has been tipped to be a future regular for the senior side.

CB. Jeffrey Bruma – This Dutch prospect was signed by Chelsea as 15 year old from Feyenoord. However he has had very limited first team opportunities and faces a battle to secure a first team spot with the likes of John Terry, Alex, and Branislav Ivanovic ahead of him in the pecking order. He may need to secure a move away to realise his potential.

CF. Connor Wickham – There are high hopes for Ipswich youngster Wickham. He has represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level. He impressed at the Under 17’s European Championships in 2010 scoring both goals in the Semi-Final against France and a wonderful solo goal in the Final victory over tournament favourites Spain.

AM. Josh McEachran – McEachran played alongside Wickham in England’s Under 17 European Championship triumph. He has already made his debut for Chelsea both in the Premier League and the Champions League. Coach Carlo Ancelotti clearly has no doubts about McEachran’s ability recently claiming "He can play in the first team right now, without problem”.