Club: Toulouse Position: Goalkeeper Born: 23 January 1999
Anyone who tuned in last month expecting to see Paris Saint-Germain's
latest procession towards another French title will have had a bit of a
surprise. Toulouse, who avoided relegation last season by a single
point, shocked their rich rivals from the capital city thanks to a
brilliant display from Lafont. Born in Burkina Faso, last season the
towering teenager became the youngest player ever to appear in Ligue 1,
at the age of 16 years and 310 days, and was the catalyst for Toulouse's
great escape that saw them overhaul a 10-point deficit to survive. Has a
great future.
The Eaglets of Nice are flying high near the top of Ligue 1 this season
and in part that is down to the promotion of Sarr, the only 1999-born
player who is a top-flight regular. Sarr played for France’s Under-17s
in the European Championship last summer – the team were eliminated
without scoring a goal – but Nice's new coach, Lucien Favre, liked what
he saw of Sarr in pre-season. The 17-year-old has played in a back four
and a back three this season. He dedicated the goal he scored on his
league debut – the winner against Rennes – to the victims of the Nice
terror attack. So far this season, he has been linked to PSG, Chelsea,
Bayern Munich and Internazionale.
Sergei comes from a footballing family. His brother Roman is the star
playmaker for CSKA Moscow and Finland, and another brother, Alexei,
played for, among others, Kilmarnock, Rubin Kazan and Lecce. Their
father, Alexei Eremenko Sr, was a top-flight footballer who moved from
Russia to Finland in the 90s. After his career had finished he was the
manager of the Finnish side Jaro and gave his youngest son a debut at
the age of 15. By 2015 Sergei was an integral part of the senior squad,
playing 16 league games and scoring three goals in all competitions,
although he was unable to stop Jaro from being relegated. He played a
further 11 times in 2016 in the second division, showing great vision
and technical skill before joining Basel in August, starting out in the
Swiss side's under-18 team. "Sergei is wise way beyond his age," Alexei
Sr says, and he is not wrong. If he progresses as expected, Sergei can
choose between representing Finland or Russia at senior level (he has
represented Finland at Under-17 and Under-18 level).
Sterling does not turn 17 until late October but has already claimed two
Uefa Youth League titles and an FA Youth Cup in Chelsea's junior ranks,
has featured regularly in the club's under-23 development side and has
represented England at under-19 level. The north Londoner graduated
through Chelsea's development centre programme and is nominally a
right-back, but his versatility is demonstrated by the fact he has
featured at centre-half, midfield, right wing and centre-forward in 2016
alone, scoring in the FA Youth Cup final in May. The first-year scholar
is athletic and technically proficient. In a world where image can seem
like everything, Sterling is perhaps unusual in that he does not, as
yet, have any social media accounts.
The stand-out prospect in his age group at the club, there is a
show-stopping quality to Nelson's game in terms of his tricks – which
are the sort that generate clicks and traction. Even when he is quiet in
a match, he has the ability to make something happen out of seemingly
nothing. But Nelson, who can play off either wing or in a central role
behind the striker, wants to be known for more than his flair moves. He
tracks back diligently, is a team player and has end product. He can
provide as well as score goals. He has featured for Arsenal's under-21s
and under-23s and is established in the England Under-18s
Being compared to Marco van Basten may not necessarily be a good thing
for a player Odgaard's age, but that is nevertheless the player he
reminds everyone of. Odgaard is a natural striker with a very dangerous
left foot. He is physically strong, has good technique and his
positional sense is superb; he has that striker's knack of being in the
right place at the right time when the ball falls. He scored on his
senior debut for Lyngby but is not a regular yet and ended with three
substitute appearances in his first season. “Jens is a huge talent on
both the Danish and European scene,” says his coach, David Nielsen.
"He’s got everything a footballer needs to be a top player. He doesn't
care who the opponent is, he is just himself on the pitch and very
strong mentally." Although tall – 1.88m – his heading ability could
still improve and he is, at the moment, a bit too one-footed.
The Frydek family is certainly doing something right. Martin Frydek Sr
has his Euro 96 silver medal in a drawer at home while Martin Jr would
have gone to Euro 2016 with the Czech Republic had he not suffered an
injury before the tournament. Now the attention turns to Christian,
seven years younger than Martin Jr, as he prepares to make the step up
to Sparta Prague's first team. He is a hard-working midfielder but also –
just like his father – a very skilful player, a creative playmaker with
a great football brain who can come up with the unexpected in every
situation. “He has to work on his strength, though,” says Frydek Sr.
“And I would like him to impose himself on games more. There are
passages when you don’t notice him on the pitch.” Recently Frydek has
been receiving some great advice in training. “He got called up to train
with the first team last week and every day when he came home, all I
heard was Rosicky this and Rosicky that,” says his father. When the
former Arsenal playmaker retires, Sparta may well already have a
successor in their ranks.
