With Spanish football on the rise once again and the 2018 World Cup approaching, Freebets.com have picked out five U21 players to watch from Spain’s La Liga:
Marco Asensio
Could he be THE highest rated prospect in the world right now? Real Madrid’s marvellous playmaker has already made the headlines repeatedly with huge goals in massive contests. The Spaniard spent two years out on loan with Mallorca and Espanyol following his big move, making an instant impact with 10 goals in all competitions on return. In 2017/18, Asensio has already equalled his league goals record of three and has been influential in everything positive Real have achieved. With six Spanish caps at just 21, Asensio has the potential to be the best attacking midfielder in the world for years to come.
Ousmane Dembele
While Asensio’s impact has been gradual, one player who has made significant progress in such a small amount of time has been Ousmane Dembele. Back at Rennes in 2015, Dembele made his debut in September, scored his first league goal in November, ended the season with 12 goals from 26 games and promptly moved onto Borussia Dortmund. After forming a deadly partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Germany, the tricky winger earned the first of many France call-up’s before moving onto Barcelona to replace Neymar in the summer. His potential is enormous – expect him to be a staple of the France team alongside Kylian Mbappe and co.
Dani Ceballos
The second of FOUR Real Madrid players to feature, Dani Ceballos earned his move to the champions on the back of a superb breakthrough campaign with Real Betis. The central midfielder already had two years experience to his name, but a standout campaign saw the remarkably nimble star earn an €18 million move to the capital. Already scoring twice from four league matches, this flair-orientated starlet can make an impact for Madrid for years to come if handled properly.
Jesus Vallejo
Though this centre back is yet to make his Real Madrid league debut, the hype around 20 year old Jesus Vallejo is on par with Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique over 10 years back. Following a year playing for Real Zaragoza in the Segunda Division, Madrid splashed out 6m euros to get his signature, loaning him back to Zaragoza for the season and eventually sending him to Eintracht Frankfurt for top tier experience. Impressed with reports, Real handed the intelligent, ball-playing central defensive leader Pepe’s number 3 shirt, hinting at his incredible potential. Akin to the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Andreas Christensen, this modern star can be huge.
Federico Valverde
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The least well known player on the list is Federico Valverde, Real Madrid’s young Uruguayan international midfielder. Valverde is out on loan at fellow La Liga side Deportivo la Coruna this season and already making a strong impact for them. With interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea at the age of 17 at Penarol, Valverde has started his career in Spain well, picking up a reputation for holding the ball, picking out a pass and making a strong impact on both a defensive and attacking front. It’ll take almighty consistency to breakthrough at Real, but Valverde is a dead cert to star for Uruguay for years to come.
