Up next in 10
Here we go! FourFourTwo writer Joe is in the studio to brings us the first edition of his monthly series 'The Boy's A Bit Special.' With so much up and coming talent in world football, Joe breaks down which players you need to keep an eye on in the coming months and just how they are making their mark at such a young age. From an Arsenal youth prospect, to Liverpool's youngest every player, here are the four wonderkids set to define the next generation.
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0:00
Rio Ngamoua is a first-team squad option for Premier League Champions Liverpool
0:04
and he's only just turned 17. Welcome to a new 4-4-2 series, The Boys A Bit Special
0:09
What a moment! What a moment
0:28
Rio, as he likes to be known, swapped Chelsea's academy for Liverpool shortly after his 16th birthday
0:33
already dubbed one of English football's rising stars. It was a bold move considering how renowned the Blues' Cobham set-up is
0:40
having produced a whole host of England internationals in recent times. But Rio backed himself and within months of arriving at Liverpool
0:47
he became involved in senior training, even appearing on the substitutes bench for a League Cup tie against Southampton
0:52
Before long, he was named in the starting line-up as Liverpool boss Arnestlot selected him
0:56
to play against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, before featuring and scoring at Anfield during pre-season
1:03
And the buzz as Ngomoua gets the ball and runs Oh my goodness me
1:09
Is there anything he can't do? But it was in the 100th minute at St James' Park back in August
1:14
when Rio, still 16 at the time, well and truly arrived on the scene
1:18
Mo Salah's ball across the Newcastle box was dummied by Dominic Sobbersly for the teenage forward
1:23
to stroke past Nick Pope with the surety and precision of the man who set him up
1:28
Listed as a right-footed left winger Rio is a straight-line attacker and by that I mean he goes for goal
1:34
Comfortable on both feet, a fearless dribbler who'll run at his man, leaving defenders' legs in a tangle
1:39
He's like a bowling ball making light work of remaining pins. Rio has bamboozled youth team defences throughout his admittedly brief youth football career
1:47
because, of course, opponents find the only way to effectively try and stop him
1:51
is to double and triple up on him. While there's fluidity to his game that really belies his years
1:56
Rio's dribbling style is more jagged, perhaps more unpredictable. He boasts good acceleration and strength for his size and technically is no match for the majority of his age mates And that exactly why he was named in Liverpool Champions League squad this season at the first time of asking Slott clearly trusts in his ability to deliver during brief cameo appearances and he demonstrated
2:16
exactly that so far. As the season goes on, his minutes and exposure will be managed, as they should, for a player
2:23
so young and still developing. But there's little stopping the youngest Premier League goalscorer for 20 years going
2:28
right to the top. He's seemingly leapfrogged Italy international Federico Chiesa in the Liverpool pecking order
2:34
and there's even been suggestions that Cody Gatpo's spot on the left-hand side
2:38
could come under threat if Rio continues to impress. In 12 months' time, we might even be talking about the 18-year-old
2:44
who starts on the wing for the back-to-back Premier League champs. Into Premier League action is Max Downman
2:51
Everyone here is talking about him right now. Max Downman was fouled nine times during one half of an England under-19s fixture earlier this season
3:00
seven of which were by the same Spanish full-back. By foul 4 or 5, it was clear they weren't even trying to disguise their attempts at thwarting Downman illegally anymore
3:08
Also, it's worth mentioning, he's 15. Well done, he's 13. He turned 16 on New Year's Eve and should he appear in the Champions League before then
3:17
would become the youngest ever competitor in Europe's Premier Club competition. Downman was playing under-18s football at 13 and under-19s football in official UEFA competitions at 14
3:26
He made his Premier League debut at 15, winning the Gunners a penalty against Leeds within his first 30 minutes on the pitch
3:40
The fact Downman is reaching these milestones whilst representing a club with a talent pool and resource like Arsenal
3:46
is the greatest endorsement of the teenager's undeniable skill. He's confident, athletic and capable, which is a winning combination for any attacker
3:54
Daumann is a duck and weave player, dodging challenges as best he can while making a beeline for the byline
4:00
The second point is an important one to make because Daumann hasn't always been a right winger
4:04
which is where he's getting minutes under Mikel Arteta. At younger age groups, he's been more of a number 10, but his skill set is indisputably wingery
4:12
cutting in off the right and putting his preferred left foot to very, very good use. From an output perspective Daumann has 20 goals and 10 assists in 25 appearances for Arsenal 18s He isn just an athlete who can run and run at defences with little to show for it when it matters most
4:27
He's a footballer. And what about his record for the 21s? Does it translate
4:31
In all honesty, no. Because he's skipped the age group altogether and he's already regarded a first-team player
4:37
named in Arsenal's Champions League squad and regularly featuring on the bench. Despite the fact development is not linear and there are many hurdles for Daumann still to clear
4:45
Provided he stays injury-free, we can say quite confidently that the first team is where he's going to stay for the foreseeable
4:52
The pass from 17-year-old Bouadi was extraordinary. In this age of footballers spending almost the entirety of their formative years
5:00
within indulgent and often overprotective academy surroundings, it's enriching and encouraging to discover a player who did not
5:07
whose talent surpasses the majority of those who did. Ayub Bouadi didn't join Lille's academy until the age of 14
5:13
which in elite footballing terms is pretty late. It's even more remarkable to consider he was starting semi-regularly for Lille
5:20
shortly after his 16th birthday playing with the self-assurance and confidence of a much, much more experienced pro
5:26
A useful bellwether I find for young players is assessing not how much they get right
5:30
but how little they get wrong and Boadi's accuracy in his passing, positioning and receiving the ball
5:35
is a great big tick in the 18-year-old midfielder's box. It mustn't be overlooked either how Boadi is more robust on the floor than most central midfielders
5:43
never mind players of a similar age to him. He's a big-bodied ball carrier in the middle of the park
5:48
covers lots of ground in short bursts and beats the first line of a press with his ability to create separations from opponents
5:54
leveraging that athletic frame of his to great effect. So far, he's earned his spurs in a possession-heavy Lille side
6:00
so he's seen plenty of the ball and getting a good feel for the pressures of the professional game
6:05
Not that it appears to bother him in the slightest. Buadi is less adventurous than many of the more attacking players who will feature in The Boys a Bit Special
6:12
but his function is a crucial one to how any team operates. In terms of up-and-coming number sixes or number eights across world football
6:19
there are few as accomplished on the field as Buadi, and few who appear as capable of making the jump to a higher level
6:26
Lille have sustained their model and prolonged European participation through the sale of important players for huge fees over the years Nicolas Pepe Victor Ossiman Leni Jorow and Raphael Leao are among them
6:37
Ayubouadi will be next. Get a go to Dibbling! What a moment for Tyler Dibbling
6:44
Tyler Dibbling, more like Tyler Dribbling. Landing Dibbling this summer was perhaps Everton's second best transfer in recent times
6:51
After Jack Grealish on a season-long loan, of course. The 19-year-old has had his fair share of clubs already
6:56
including a brief spell at Chelsea's renowned Cobham Academy, but Southampton has always proven to be a safe space
7:02
and ultimately the launchpad for his career. Even then, as an even younger teenager
7:06
it was clear Dibbling's talent would lead him to the Premier League, scoring hat-tricks of identical goals in PL2 matches
7:12
against defenders many years his senior. Three mazy dribbles into the opposing half
7:16
followed by three cool finishes. It's what he does. The Everton teenager has an excellent command of the ball
7:22
not breaking strides, smoothly moving through the gears with a frame that suggests he should be stoppable but often isn't
7:28
Give Tyler the ball and get your rest. That may as well have been Ivan Juric's instruction to his players
7:33
when the Southampton team were already several goals down in many cases
7:37
Dibbling featured in over 2,000 minutes of senior football for that doomed Southampton side last season
7:43
making 33 Premier League appearances, which is pretty out of the ordinary in any top five European league
7:48
never mind the most physically demanding one. At Everton, he's going to learn from the best
7:52
and I don't mean to suggest David Moyes was a marauding winger back in his day
7:57
I'm talking about Jack Grealish. His breakthrough at Aston Villa saw the Brummie Beckham
8:01
hacked and chopped up by Premier League defences. So much so that only Wilfred Zaha really rivals the England international
8:07
for fouls won over the past decade. Dibbling, in this case, is the young pretender, if you will
8:13
I also expect Dibbling to become a key player for this new cohort of England under-21s too
8:17
because many of their established wingers have already outgrown the age group. he's got a long way to go before senior international recognition
8:23
and will need to nail down a starting spot for Everton before that's a realistic possibility
8:28
but don't rule it out in years to come the talent is there
8:32
the only thing Dibbling needs now is opportunity remember to let 442 know in the comments
8:37
which teenagers we should be featuring in the next edition of the boys a bit special
8:40
bye for now
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