James Maddison and Richarlison have been brilliant in England but Germany is the place to be for emerging talent:
10) Richarlison, 21, Everton
More than the odd eyebrow was raised when Everton agreed to meet Watford’s lofty £40m valuation of Richarlison but the Brazilian has clearly been keen to prove his worth. The 21-year-old made an immediate impact under his former boss Marco Silva, with three goals in his first two appearances for the Toffees, adding a fourth in a 2-1 win at Leicester earlier this month. His pace and workrate are already pivotal to Everton’s approach and he can consider his first three months at the club a success. Rating: 7.27
9) Jadon Sancho, 18, Borussia Dortmund
Had Jadon Sancho not made six of his nine appearances in the Bundesliga this season as a substitute, he would be even higher up this list. But he has started Dortmund’s last three games, so that may change soon. The 18-year-old scored both of Dortmund’s goals in their 2-2 draw against Hertha Berlin at the weekend, taking his tally to four league goals for the season. He also has six assists, meaning only one player in the league (Sébastien Haller of Frankfurt) has had a direct hand in more goals. Rating: 7.27
8) James Maddison, 21, Leicester City
Another summer signing to the Premier League who is hoping to justify his price tag, James Maddison has made an immediate impact at the King Power Stadium, starting all 10 of Leicester’s league games so far. The 21-year-old has either scored or set up a goal in half of those matches, scoring twice and registering three assists. He has also shown versatility, playing both from the left and behind a striker. Wilfried Zaha is the only player who has drawn more fouls so far this season, showing Maddison is already a marked man. Rating: 7.27
7) Nordi Mukiele, 20, RB Leipzig
Nordi Mukiele swapped Montpellier for RB Leipzig in the summer and his versatility in defense is already proving a valuable asset for his new club. The 20-year-old has been deployed on the right of the back four at Leipzig, but he is equally comfortable playing at center-back. RB Leipzig have kept clean sheets in his last four starts and the young Frenchman has also supported attacks well for Ralf Rangnick’s side, completing 14 dribbles in his seven league appearances. Rating: 7.31
6) Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 20, Crystal Palace
We saw a glimpse of what Aaron Wan-Bissaka could offer Crystal Palace at the tail end of last season but he has really made the right-back spot his own this season. The 20-year-old is unfortunate that England are not short of quality right-backs but he will be hoping to impress Gareth Southgate nonetheless. He was excellent against Arsenal at the weekend, ranking first of the players on show for tackles (six), interceptions (four) and dribbles (five). Only three players in Europe’s top five leagues can beat his average of 4.6 tackles per game and only two full-backs have made more dribbles per game. Rating: 7.40
5) Reiss Nelson, 18, Hoffenheim
Arsenal fans should be keeping a keen eye on the progress of loanee Reiss Nelson in the Bundesliga. The 18-year-old has scored four goals in just 255 minutes of action in the Bundesliga. He has been used in midfield and as a forward by Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann, and has completed an impressive 88.8 percent of his passes. Nelson has also been given a taste of Champions League football. Rating: 7.43
4) Dan-Axel Zagadou, 19, Borussia Dortmund
Dan-Axel Zagadou left PSG for Borussia Dortmund last summer and, having started his Bundesliga career at left-back last season, the giant 19-year-old has reverted to his favored central role under Lucien Favre. The Frenchman has picked up five clean sheets in his seven appearances so far this season. He has shown composure with the ball at his feet (87.5 percent pass accuracy) and has looked comfortable bringing the ball out from the back. Rating: 7.43
3) Ibrahim Sangaré, 20, Toulouse
Ibrahim Sangaré broke into the Toulouse side in the second half of last season and has been even more impressive in the present campaign. His importance at the heart of their midfield has been felt over the last few weeks. He missed Toulouse’s last two games – through suspension and then injury – and they suffered 3-0 and 4-0 defeats. Expect the Ivorian to be the subject of interest when the transfer window reopens in January. Rating: 7.44
2) Achraf Hakimi, 19, Borussia Dortmund
Achraf Hakimi chose a good time to leave Real Madrid on loan. While the European champions have been plummeting down La Liga this season, Hakimi has been making his mark at Borussia Dortmund despite having to play out of position at left-back. The Moroccan marked his Bundesliga debut with a goal in a 7-0 win over Nürnberg and has been a real attacking outlet for the league leaders this season, registering a further three assists in the league and three in a single game as Lucien Favre’s men blew away Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. Rating: 7.56
1) Kylian Mbappé, 19, Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappé was benched for PSG’s big match at Marseille after he turned up late for a team meeting, but he came off the bench and won the game regardless. The 19-year-old has been a superstar in the making for some time – something he underlined at the World Cup this summer – and he has been on a mission to run the show for PSG this season. His goal in Le Classique was his 10th in Ligue 1 this season, making him the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to hit double figures. He has also scored a couple more goals in the Champions League. Mbappé is not just our highest rated player aged 21 and under, but he is second to just Lionel Messi (8.41) overall. Rating: 8.27
The Guardian Sport
