'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In this day and age of inflated transfer fees and panic buys in the transfer market, there are few rays of hope when it comes to developing youth talent. Old school managers try their best but in a cut-throat world where instant success guarantees holding on to a job sees new managers go for established talents instead.
Nevertheless, there are some players who have shined; sometimes better than their seniors in the squad. Soccerex did some research (taking into account their market value, current club, national team appearances etc) and came out with the list of most valuable players in the U-21 bracket.
10) Kingsley Coman - €35m
Did you know that even though Coman just turned 21 but he has already won 11 trophies in club football? Having first made his professional debut with Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 16, the French winger has since played for Juventus and Bayern Munich - winning trophies everywhere he's played.
A player who loves to use his pace on the wings, Coman has that rare ability to play on either flank. He excels at beating the last player with his dribbling skills and his crossing of the ball is also right up there with the best.
At the moment, he does not get enough first team opportunities at Bayern Munich due to the presence of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery but it's only a matter of time before he replaces the two legends in the starting lineup.
9) Timo Werner - €35.6m
Everyone expected Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund to top the Bundesliga table at the start of last season. RB Leipzig had other plans though.
The newly-promoted side played exceptional football to even top the table early in the season before Bayern did what they did best - string a run of victories and win the league. But Leipzig finished second - above a highly-fancied Dortmund side.
Leading the charge was young Timo Werner who turned 21 this summer. In 28 starts up front in Leipzig's unorthodox 4-2-2-2 formation, Werner scored 21 goals for the club in the Bundesliga.
A player who willing to press opponents to win the ball back and was also devastating on the counter-attack, he was their primary goalscoring threat. No other player managed to get into double figures for goals scored.
8) Gianluigi Donnarumma - €40.5m
It's almost ironic that the one to eventually replace Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks for Italy would be his namesake. Gianluigi Donnarumma has already turned heads with his performances for AC Milan last season. The fact that he has already made the position his own at the age of 18 makes it even more remarkable.
Having made his debut at 16, Donnarumma played every game for Milan in Serie A last season. With incredible shot-stopping reflexes for a player who was 6'5", Donnarumma has already been vetted by Buffon who said he was a goalkeeper with "extraordinary physical and mental qualities".
Super agent Mino Raiola almost ruined his career even before it had a chance to get underway when he flirted with Juventus but Donnarimma has since pledged his future to Milan who convinced him that he would reap the benefits of their new project at San Siro.
Donnarumma easily has two decades more left in him if he keeps himself fit and a transfer in the future could shatter the world record for a goalkeeper.
7) Marcus Rashford - €40.6m
Manchester United are a club that have had a long-standing tradition of having at least one academy player in their first team squad and it's a noble endeavour that has seen the club earn a number of plaudits.
One such player that made the most of that opportunity was young Marcus Rashford. The English forward first impressed in the Europa League under Louis van Gaal before making an instant impact in the Premier League - so much so that he even sidelined the world's most expensive teenage signing at the time, Anthony Martial.
His pace and impeccable finishing even saw him called up to the Euro 2016 squad as an 18-year-old instead of playing for the U-21s last summer.
However, he is yet to hit his stride under Jose Mourinho and he will have to impress early if he is to consistently start under the Portuguese manager now that Romelu Lukaku is also on board.
6) Gabriel Jesus - €42.6m
Palmeiras are one the most popular clubs in Brazil but they hadn't made much of an impact in the last two decades - until last season. Gabriel Jesus played a crucial role in their title triumph that made them the only club to have won nine Brazilian league titles.
The 19-year-old's 12 goals and five assists also saw him win the Bola de Ouro (Player of the Season) before he sealed his much-awaited £27m (plus add-ons) move to Manchester City in January 2017.
Pep Guardiola was not in favour of Sergio Aguero leading the line and Jesus took his place in the lineup, impressing fans and pundits with his movement, defensive work and eye for goal.
It was a dream move before disaster struck in the form of a broken metatarsal in his right foot in only his fourth game. But he made a recovery by April and helped the club finish third with four goals and three assists in his last five games.
5) Marco Asensio - €42.7m
"You have to make him a monument," said Bayern Munich technical director Michael Reschke of Jose Angel Sanchez - the man who signed Marco Asensio for a paltry €3.5m in 2014.
When he first joined the club, he was initially loaned out but made the squad for the 2016/17 season - Zinedine Zidane's first full season in charge. And he announced himself with a long range effort against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup in a 3-2 win.
Since then, Asensio has been an integral member of the Real squad that won the La Liga-Champions League double with 10 goals in all competitions, even getting on the scoresheet in the Champions League final. His versatility allowed Zidane to deploy him in various roles in midfield or out wide as a forward.
Asensio wasn't done though. He was one of Spain's best player at the U-21 Euros, scoring three goals - showing the world that the U-21s was a playground for a player who had become a seasoned professional in such a short time.
4) Leroy Sane - €51.1m
Why did Pep Guardiola see fit to spend £37m on a 20-year-old winger? Well, Leroy Sane had been lighting it up in the Bundesliga with Schalke for a couple of seasons and had established himself as a starter for Die Knappen.
At City, he was given the freedom to express himself on the flank and his explosive pace with the ball at his feet saw Premier League defenders (particularly the full-backs) struggle to keep up.
"Pep told me, ‘Play how you played at Schalke because you were free there’. The other players are all normal human beings." - Sane
His dribbling skills were what made him such a tough player to go up against but where he needs to improve is his crossing.
Sane finished the season with nine goals and five assists. Not bad for a player who is not always in the starting lineup thanks to the myriad of attacking options Guardiola has at his disposal.
3) Ousmane Dembele - €60.9m
Signed as a promising 19-year-old last summer, Ousmane Dembele proved he had what it took to play among the big boys with a breakout season with Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17.
How good was he? 11 goals and 18 assists in all competitions! And he just turned 20 in May. He played on the right in a 3-4-3, he played in midfield in a 3-1-4-2 and he even played on the left in a 4-1-4-1 as Dortmund tried to find the perfect balance after making a number of signings over the summer.
His best performances were not restricted to just one position and it's hard to figure out where he can excel in the future considering he is still developing as a player. But the wide forward role could be his as he works well with a top striker leading the line.
His dribbling and eye for a pass will hold him in good stead and it's only his decision-making in the final third that needs some polishing before he becomes one of Europe's most lethal attackers.
2) Kylian Mbappe - €61.7m
Unless Neymar makes the £197m move to PSG, Kylian Mbappe could be the first player to break the £100m barrier even if his estimated value is only £55m. The fact that he is already being considered one of the best at just 18 speaks volumes about his potential to be world-class in very short time.
After a quiet first half of the season, Mbappe exploded in February and never looked back. 18 of his 26 goals last season came in the last three months of the season as Monaco lifted the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 17 years.
A quick dribbler, immense acceleration, the ability to finish chances, superior than most in the air thanks to his athletic frame - it's no wonder then that he really could be the next Thierry Henry and live up to the tag.
Every major club in Europe is after him knowing full well that even a record-breaking bid would be an investment if they can get him to stay at the club for years to come.
1) Dele Alli - €82.6m
Tottenham Hotspur fans will forever remind you that Dele Alli is "better than Ozil and only cost £5m". While banter is all well and good, Alli has shown that he can seriously be considered among the best after defending his PFA Young Player of the Year title even though he was a strong contender for Player of the Year.
22 goals and eight assists - that's how good he was last season for Spurs. Alli struck up a strong partnership with Harry Kane as Spurs ran riot last season under Mauricio Pochettino.
Alli can thrive as a pure no.10 or a second striker depending on the formation Pochettino employs. His off-the-ball runs into the box are also what makes him an effective goalscorer.
More importantly, Alli also turned up in the big games - especially against the other two sides to finish in the top three - Chelsea and Manchester City.
Although Spurs were the best side in the last two seasons combined, they still need a push to actually go on and win the league. Alli will be key if they are to make that step up to the elite.
