The stars in making: Young guns to look out for in 2021

Teams are investing heavily in youth programmes as many clubs have been pushing their budding stars into the first team from a very young age. Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger trusted their young lads, giving them numerous opportunities at various cup competitions. It saw the rise of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Cesc Fagregas, Robin van Persie, Ashley Cole and many more. Managers and owners continue to trust in their youth setup as their growth can save the club plenty at the transfer window. Even fans rally behind a local boy over a foreign player, making it vital for any club to have a productive grassroot system in place.

Let us look at the budding players who are primed to succeed in 2021 and the years to come:

Eduardo Camavinga (Stade Rennais, midfielder)

The 18-year-old French national is fast becoming a regular for his club and country. He has pace, physicality and a good dribbling skills. He is disciplined with ball and has the ability to split a defence with his through balls. He is very good in holding up play and can carry the ball forward under pressure. He is way matured for a teenage prodigy.

He can play in a variety of positions in midfield – defensive, box-to-box and attacking midfield. The central midfielder possesses similar traits as his international teammate Paul Pogba. With three senior international caps already this name, the youngster is one of the most sought out player in Europe. If he keeps his head down and continues to work hard, Camavinga can only get better.

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal, winger)

The left-footed winger is one of the few positives to come out of a disappointing 2020 for Arsenal. With pace and precision, Saka can leave a fullback wrong footed with his consummate dribbling skills. He is a key member of Arsenal’s quick counter-attacking setup.

At 19 years, he is a guaranteed starter in Mikel Arteta’s line-up. With four English caps already, Saka has all the ingredients to dominate the football world in the coming years. Arsenal must be kissing their lucky stars to have found the talented player in the youth set-up. Now it is up to Arteta to get the best out of the budding star.

Amad Diallo Traore (Manchester United, winger)

Manchester United spent huge money on the promising talent and waited months before he joined the club in January. An incredible dribbler of the ball, Traore possesses a repertoire of skills at just 18, which very few players boast at his age. He predominantly played on the right-flank for Atlanta in Italy.

Traore might have taken the field only four times for Atlanta before being hunted by European powerhouses. Manchester United won the race, landing one of the hottest prospects in Europe. He has excelled for the club in the U-23s, running the show in the right flank. His ability cut inside and outside, makes him unpredictable to defend. He might very well be the solution to fill the gap in the right flank for the senior Manchester United side.