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The Bundesliga has a history of nurturing young talents and turning them into world beaters. Its long-standing reputation as a fertile breeding ground for exciting young players has been further cemented this season with the emergence of several gifted youngsters. The abundance of talent in this league has helped German football conquer the world by winning the FIFA World Cup and the Confederations Cup.
Unfortunately, it's also considered a feeder league with talented players either signing for Bayern Munich, the zenith of Bundesliga or top English and Spanish clubs.
This season has turned out to be a breakthrough year for a lot of youngsters who have time and again proved their worth to their respective clubs. Here we take a look at 5 such players.
#5 Thorgan Hazard
Position - Attacking Midfielder/ Winger
The younger sibling of Eden Hazard, he made his name at Belgian club Zulte Waregem, where he was on loan from Chelsea before joining Mönchengladbach on loan. In the wake of his superb performances, the German side made the move permanent and reportedly paid Chelsea €8 million for the 24 year old Belgian.
He has since consistently played well for Mönchengladbach scoring and assisting at least 5 goals in each season. The only quality missing in his game was consistency. But he has worked in the right direction and this season he has been the main man at Mönchengladbach. In just 23 games in the league and cup, he has scored 8 goals and assisted another 7 as Mönchengladbach maintain their push for Champions League places.
Chelsea do have a buy-back clause inserted in his contract and if he continues at this level, they might look to bring him back to Stamford Bridge.
#4 Christian Pulisic
Position - Attacking Midfielder/ Winger
Christian Pulisic came through the ranks at Dortmund and became Dortmund's youngest ever goalscorer in the league when he scored against Hamburg on 23rd April 2016. He again scored in the next match against Stuttgart to become the youngest ever Bundesliga player to score 2 goals in the league.
Ever since he has earned rave reviews from one and all for his terrific performances at Dortmund. Since Dembele and Aubameyang have left for greener pastures, he has become the focal point of Dortmund's attacking play.
This season in just 17 appearances in the league, he has scored 3 and assisted 2 goals. At just 19 years of age, the USA international is surely on the right path and can go on to become one of the best players in the Bundesliga.
#3 Joshua Kimmich
Position - Right Back/ Central Midfielder
The versatile 22 years old, has become one of the indispensable players at Bayern and is one of the first names on the team sheet. Signed from RB Leipzig in 2015, he has slowly developed into one of the best players in the Bundesliga. He had mainly played as a Central Midfielder but gradually has been converted into a Right Back especially for the national team.
His position on the pitch, for both club and country, has drawn comparisons with Bayern and Germany legend Phillip Lahm, who retired last season, and those comparisons are unlikely to go away if he continues his solid performances.
This season in 17 games he has scored once and assisted an astonishing 7 times. Bayern are set to renew his contract and keep him away from any potential suitors.
#2 Leon Bailey
Position - Winger.
The Jamaican U-23 international has been in scintillating form this season as Bayer Leverkusen sit in second place in the Bundesliga. Signed from Genk in the winter of 2017, Leon Bailey has been a revelation at Leverkusen.
A speedy winger, he has shone this season with 8 goals and 5 assists in just 14 games. More often then not he has been the man for Leverkusen scoring important goals. His performances have alerted clubs in the Premier League and he is said to be on the radar of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.
#1 Timo Werner
Position - Striker
The 21 year old German international has been magnificent for RB Leipzig since last year as they finished runners-up to Bayern Munich and are well placed to do the same this season.
The top-scoring German in the Bundesliga with 21 goals in 31 top-flight appearances last season, Werner again leads the list of his fellow countrymen in the goalscoring charts this time around with 10 goals and 3 assists in 18 top-flight games. His pace and deadly finishing has made him one of the top marksmen in Germany.
He has become a regular for Joachim Low's national team and was the top scorer in the recently concluded Confederations Cup. They may have finally found the successor to the legendary Miroslav Klose.
