Top 5 young footballers in Ligue 1 this season

#4 Houssem Aouar – Lyon

Another product of Lyon's academy, Houssem Aouar is a highly versatile youngster

Age - 19 (Born 30 June 1998)

Nationality - French

3 things are certain in this world – birth, death and Lyon’s academy producing talents. The third thing, the academy of Olympique Lyonnais, the never-ending treasure has produced one more jewel – this time in the form of Houssem Aouar.

Already rated highly by pundits and fans alike, Aouar is someone who can play anywhere in the midfield. Even though he is predominantly a central midfielder, his ability to play as deep midfielder, as a wide man, and even as a No. 10 in this short time has caught the attention of several clubs inside and outside France.

A player with roots in Algeria, Aouar started getting playing time during the final phase of last season, but it was this season which concreted his place in the squad. With Corentin Tolisso, Maxime Gonalons and Rachid Ghezzal (all of them are Lyon’s academy products too in case you didn't notice) left the club in the summer, it was necessary for Lyon to rebuild their midfield.

Unsurprisingly, manager Bruno Genesio decided to give this teenager a shot. With regular playing time, Aouar started giving stellar performances and even benched several senior players. He is already one of the best dribblers not only in his team but also in the league.

Even though he is not as fast as many of his teammates, his ability to understand the opponent and keeping the ball when pressurized is well beyond than what you expect from a teenage footballer. An output of 4 goals and 3 assists from 20 matches is not bad for a 19-year-old, but Aouar belongs to that group of players who are ‘just not stats’.

Currently a French U-21 international, Aouar can be a key player in not only Lyon’s Europa League hopes this season, but also for ensuring an automatic UCL spot next season by finishing in the top two in the league.