da aposte e ganhe： FA chairman Greg Dyke once described the Premier League as a ‘finishing school’ for the rest of the world of football. The idea being that the Premiership adds the final touches to already prodigious talents from abroad, rather than developing them itself.
da doce： But we at Football Fancast fundamentally disagree. Yes, there’s less budding young Englishmen than we’d like in the Premier League, but the top flight still produces it’s own talents capable of taking the world by storm – following in the footsteps of the likes of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Wayne Rooney.
So with the season finally drawing to a close and a whole nine months’ worth of fantastic footy to look back on, we at Football Fancast have conjured up this list of five Premier League youngsters we believe are destined for the top – silverware, the Champions League, World Cups and more.
Will one of these FIVE develop into the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?
KURT ZOUMA
A potential successor to John Terry, centre-back Kurt Zouma is blessed with the power, pace and leap one day fill the Chelsea skipper’s inevitable void.
Indeed, he’s a phenomenal physical specimen, measuring in at 6 foot 3, and that natural athleticism has already proved enough to earn the former St. Etienne prodigy a cameo role in a title-winning Blues squad.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go; the 20 year-old lacks quality on the ball – despite his occasional outings in midfield this season – and he’s still prone to the odd positional error.
But both of those weaknesses will naturally improve as Zouma receives more minutes on the pitch, and because he’s already at the level of the Premier League physically, he can focus on developing the other areas of his game.
With John Terry now 34 and Gary Cahill not too far behind, Zouma’s almost certain to feature more and more for the west London outfit over the next few years.
His participation on the international scene is arguably even more exciting – if he develops as expected, France will boast the incredible centre-back partnership of the Chelsea starlet and Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane.
JOHN STONES
An equally prodigious centre-back, albeit of a completely different variety; whilst Kurt Zouma is the definition of defensive sturdiness, John Stones is lanky, lightweight and progressive on the ball.
Indeed, England haven’t had a centre-back of such grace and confidence going forward since the days of a youthful Rio Ferdinand, the 20 year-old’s jinking runs into midfield and yonder becoming a defining feature of Everton’s attacking play last season.
This term – largely due to the Toffees’ tepid form – he’s focused more on the defensive side of his game. At times it can leave a lot to be desired but overall, the former Barnsley youngster has demonstrated a real knack for attacking the ball, be it blocks, tackles or headers, in the most crucial of areas.
Last-ditch defending inside the box is a fundamental requirement of any great defender, but Stones blends it with pace, technical quality and cavalier drives out of the back. If he can maintain that more aesthetic side of his game whilst improving defensively – the more stereotypical stylings of centre-back Phil Jagielka will certainly be a help – then it won’t be long before one of the Premier League’s top clubs makes a serious offer.
RAHEEM STERLING
Many have warned Raheem Sterling he’s not ready to leave Liverpool but I firmly disagree.
After all, he was granted the Golden Boy award for 2014 and it takes only a quick glance at some of the European accolade’s prior winners – Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Paul Pogba – to consider what this says about the 20 year-old’s capacity to win silverware.
Likewise, he’s claimed the most goals, the second most assists, the most chances created per-match and the most successful dribbles per-match of any Liverpool player in the Premier League this season, despite Brendan Rodgers’ insistence upon continually fluctuating his position from right wing-back to centre-forward and everything in between.
Is Sterling worth £50million as the tabloids have often speculated? Not yet. But if he maintains the quality he’s shown over the last 18 months – last season playing an intrinsic role in the Reds’ surprise title bid – the England international will almost certainly be worth that eye-watering fee in a couple of years’ time.
Whether he’ll still be at Anfield by that point, remains to be seen.
LUKE SHAW
It’s been a challenging first season for Luke Shaw at Manchester United but in recent weeks he’s finally started to reproduce the performances at Southampton that lead to his record-breaking Old Trafford move last summer.
Indeed, it will take years before the England international begins to truly justify his £28million transfer fee. But still a teenager, Shaw has plenty of years ahead of him and his potential is abundant for all to see.
A definitive member of the clan of ‘false full-backs’ who’ve the Premier League by storm iver the last few years, the 19 year-old possesses the quality and athleticism to contribute at both ends of the pitch for a full ninety minutes.
Defensively, he’s not quite up to the standard of a (younger) Patrice Evra, Gael Clichy or Cesar Azpilicueta, this season averaging just 1.5 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per match. But if he can improve upon that within the course of the next few years, he’ll undoubtedly be up there with the world’s left-back elite.
HARRY KANE
We’ve only witnessed one season’s worth of Harry Kane’s superlative form and he’d hardly be the first or the last one-season wonder to set the Premier League alight.
But what a season it has been! The top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League with 20 goals in just 26 stars – a haul only surpassed by Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero.
And more than simply his goals, it’s the 21 year-old’s infectious enthusiasm, the sheer velocity and consistency of his work-rate, that truly stands out.
Combine that with the ability to turn small pockets of space in and around the area into sensational goals, and it’s no surprise the Tottenham talisman has been likened to Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Thomas Muller.
If the 6 foot 2 striker can carry his form into next season, it will affirm the suspicions of many that he’ll become the greatest England international of his generation.