As legends like Lionel Messi begin to settle down and look towards retirement, our eyes inevitably turn to the next generation of footballing legends.

We could choose to focus on those rising to the top, with the likes of Harry Kane, or we can look to the ones who are younger still.

For many young players, 2019 is likely to be a career-defining year. Let’s take a look at some of the players you might want to watch in 2019.

Hamed Junior Traore

The 18-year old is currently at Empoli and has been picking up offers for the Italian Serie A side. With offers from Juventus and Sampdoria amongst others swirling around his name, it is obvious that this impressive midfielder is going to make quite the impact in the coming years. Already nicknamed “The Machine”, he’s a powerful player with a successful career ahead of him.

Mason Greenwood

Currently playing for Manchester United, 17-year old Mason Greenwood looks tipped to become the latest in Man Utd’s preference for nurturing homegrown talent. He has played against Valencia and Chelsea youth sides, scoring a hat-trick against the latter, and signed his contract with them in 2018. We can expect to see his professional debut goal soon.

Jadon Sancho

Aged just 19, Sancho has been making waves since he first started playing in youth teams. He has played with Watford and Manchester City in the youth teams and is currently signed to Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga. He also plays for the England national team and has begun to play in their senior games. Rumours are swirling that we may seem him return to an English team sometime soon.

Dominic Solanke

Currently at AFC Bournemouth, the 21-year old striker is certainly one to look out for. He has previously played for Chelsea and Liverpool, as well as Vitesse on loan. He also received the Golden Ball for his participation in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. If you are interested in sports betting, betting on Solanke’s performance is always going to be interesting.

Demarai Gray

Currently playing for Leicester City, the 22-year old winger has been impressing for years. He enjoyed the Birmingham City’s Academy as under-11. When he made the first team for Birmingham City, he was watched by many different Premier League teams including Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. He has also played for a number of England teams and it won’t be long before we expect to see him called up to the senior squad.

Morgan Gibbs-White

Gibbs-White has impressed a number of people in his career so far; a feat worth noting since the midfielder is only 19. He is currently with Wolverhampton Wanderers but we can expect to see a lot of interest from other clubs soon. He has also made appearances with the English national youth teams where he scored in the final of 2017 FIF U-17 World Cup.

Phil Foden

Aged only 18, Phil Foden has already attracted a lot of attention. He currently plays for Manchester City and has done since the age of 8. The winner of the 2017 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, he is also Man City’s youngest ever goalscorer in the Champions League. We can expect him to have a long and fruitful career.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

The 18-year old forward has come up through Chelsea’s training academy and has performed exceptionally in the youth teams. He has played alongside others in this list in the U-17 World Cup and made his international debut in March 2019 for the senior England squad. He performed well in the match against Montenegro and even registered for an assist with one of Ross Barkley’s goals.

Houssem Aouar

Aged 20 and currently playing for Lyon, this midfielder has had eyes on him for quite a while. Although he is content to stay in France for now, he has already attracted attention from Chelsea, Manchester City, and Barcelona. Wherever he chooses to move to next will be getting themselves an incredible player.

Luke Matheson

At just 16 years old, Matheson may still be in school but he is garnering interest left, right, and centre. The defender is currently being nurtured by Rochdale but is being closely monitored by Liverpool, Manchester United, Man City, and Tottenham amongst others. Whenever he makes his debut amongst a senior squad, it is likely to be with an impact.

Arvin Appiah

Currently at Nottingham Forest but already cut his teeth on some England U18 games, this 17-year old winger is likely to soon attract some big offers from the big leagues. His career has thus far been watched by England’s top clubs but there are rumours that Bundesliga sides might also be interested in acquiring his talents. We shall see where he decides to move soon.

Erling Braut-Haaland

As the son of former Premier League defender Alf-Inge Haaland, this forward is a 6ft 3ins powerhouse of a player. He has impressed talent scouts all over Europe in his time at Molde and is continuing to impress with his move to Salzburg. He has played well with the Norway youth squads but Leeds United fans are keen to see him return to his dad’s club sometime in the future.

These are just some of the young players who are impressing the experts all around the world with their plays. The future of football so often rests on the shoulders of the next generation as the current legends begin to step back. However, it is safe to say that it is in the capable hands of the young men listed above. Each one of them is a credit to their teams and countries. Watching their careers over the years is going to be extremely interesting and we hope that they continue to flourish throughout the rest of their careers. The beautiful game is going to remain very beautiful indeed with them and their teammates at the helm. Who knows, one of the boys above could become the next footballing legend like all those who came before them.

Posted on March 28th, 2019 by scott
Filed under: Article