#TalentRadar Top 10 Young Midfielders // As part of our Talent Radar feature, we will regularly publish Player Rankings of Young Players divided across the four primary positions (goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders & forwards) and focusing on the 6 big leagues of Europe (Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 & Eredivisie).
Some FAQs worth reading just to clarify any doubts about this.
What is Talent Radar? Read this for complete details on the feature.
What is the eligibility criteria? Players that were aged 21 years and below on June 1st 2014, are eligible for Talent Radar.
How often will these be published? The rankings will be updated and published every fortnight, along with our Talent Radar Team of the Week.
On what basis are these rankings made? These rankings are purely based on our opinion of the players and their performances. Our opinions are based on various factors; if you do have a question/criticism/feedback about the inclusion/exclusion of a player, then do leave a comment below.
What’s the point of all this? Good question. Well for one thing, it’s fun (isn’t it?). Secondly, we always track the progress and performances of youngsters under our Talent Radar feature. Those who are featured here and in our weekly, monthly pieces, will also be recognised in our end of season Talent Radar Young Player Awards and ofcourse will also influence our hugely popular 100 Best Young Players to Watch list (at the end of the calendar year).
More Talent Radar Player Rankings → // Goalkeepers // Defenders // Forwards
Marco Verratti’s exceptional performances keep him at top spot in the Top 10 Young Midfielders’ list. Although others have shown some fantastic displays, Verratti’s place seems secure for now. Playing in PSG’s midfield, the Italian has been incredible in providing the balance to the side, his passing would make most experienced players envious, while he constantly creates opportunities for those ahead of him. He made the Team of the Week for the second time this season, along with a few others on this list.
Bordeaux’s Diego Rolan was again on the scoresheet continuing his wonderful start to the season; although some would say he’s best played as a striker, many believe the contrary as he hasn’t quite got the skill set to be trusted in such a role. He’s just about holding off Liverpool’s sensation, Raheem Sterling, who continues to grow his reputation with regular impressive performances, he too was on the scoresheet when he faced Tottenham.
Hakim Ziyech has a good record going, having played for Heerenveen and Twente this season, he has been involved in each and every goal that those clubs have scored with him in the side. His performances in general can improve though; he drops down two spots after an average showing and no goal scored or assisted.
Gianelli Imbula, like Marco Verratti, can easily go unnoticed but he seems to be thriving under Marcelo Bielsa and can only improve under the tactician. He rises, along with Iker Muniain who was on target for Bilbao, while James Ward-Prowse’s impressive displays this season haven’t gone unnoticed either.
Hakan Calhanoglu and Valentin Lavigne are the news boys into the Talent Radar Top 10 Young Midfielders of 2014-15 so far. The latter has actually made 2 Team of the Week appearances, while the first got him in due to a lack of options, the second was purely on merit. He came on with 18 minutes to go for Lorient and scored two, set-up one in that time. Super Sub would be an understatement.
Like all the other Talent Radar Player Rankings categories, the next issue will be published on September 24th. It’s already getting pretty competitive, so you could see changes in the bottom 5 but I’d expect the likes of Verratti, Sterling & Imbula to remain there or thereabout.
| # | PLAYER | AGE | CLUB | NATIONALITY | TOTW |
| 1 | Marco Verratti | 21 | Paris Saint-Germain | Italy | 1 |
| 2 | Diego Rolan | 21 | Bordeaux | Uruguay | 1 |
| 3 | Raheem Sterling | 19 | Liverpool | England | 1 |
| 4 | Hakim Ziyech | 21 | Twente | Netherlands | 0 |
| 5 | Gianelli Imbula | 21 | Marseille | France | 0 |
| 6 | Iker Muniain | 21 | Athletico Bilbao | Spain | 0 |
| 7 | James Ward-Prowse | 19 | Southampton | England | 0 |
| 8 | Zakaria Labyad | 21 | Vitesse | Morocco | 1 |
| 9 | Hakan Calhanoglu | 20 | Leverkusen | Turkey | 1 |
| 10 | Valentin Lavigne | 20 | Lorient | France | 2 |
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Written by Sami Faizullah. Chief Editor of this website.
