COUNTDOWN: The best rated youngsters in Europe's top five leagues

With the Bundesliga and Serie A returning after their respective winter breaks, now is as good a time as any to run through the top performing players to have made 10 or more appearances aged 21 and under in Europe’s top five leagues this season. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool (7.16 rating) 

Liverpool will have been rocked by the news that Trent Alexander-Arnold is sidelined for the next month with a knee problem given his good form so far this season. The 20-year-old has returned a WhoScored rating of 7.16 for the Premier League leaders, with one goal and three assists contributing to that return. 1.8 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game will have helped push his rating higher with the young right-back impressive for a Reds side that has shipped fewer goals (10) than any other Premier League team this term. 

Houssem Aouar - Lyon (7.16 rating) 

Placing above Alexander-Arnold, despite earning the same WhoScored rating, is Houssem Aouar (7.16), with the midfielder making two more appearances than the former to come in at ninth. Lyon may be faltering in their quest to finish in the top two, but the Frenchman is again excelling, both in the centre of the park and out wide. Scoring six and registering one assist, matching his return last season for the former stat already, as he continues his development into one of the finest midfielders in France. 

Achraf Hakimi - Borussia Dortmund (7.20 rating) 

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a coup when they landed Achraf Hakimi on loan for the campaign, with the Bundesliga side benefitting from the Moroccan’s defensive and offensive input. With Dortmund top of the Bundesliga, the full-back’s influence is best represented in that they have failed to win just one of the 12 league games he has started this season compared to three of the five he hasn’t. A willingness to break forward where possible has returned 1.6 successful dribbles per game and seen Hakimi gain a WhoScored rating of 7.20. 

Luka Jovic - Eintracht Frankfurt (7.24 rating) 

Remaining with the Bundesliga, no player has scored more goals than Luka Jovic (12) in Germany’s top tier this term, which included a stunning five-goal haul in Eintracht Frankfurt’s 7-1 win over Fortuna Duesseldorf back in October. Jovic’s fine goalscoring form hasn’t gone amiss either with a host of Europe’s top teams showing an interest in the Serbian youngster. The 21-year-old has also chipped in with three assists for Eintracht and it’s seen him land a WhoScored rating of 7.24 this term. With the Serb linked with a move to one of Europe's elite, his Football INDEX buy price has increased to £4.86 per share, that rising 4.05% over the last seven days. 

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - Crystal Palace (7.27 rating) 

The second of two Premier League players and third Englishman to make the cut, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a shining light in what has been a relatively dreary season for Crystal Palace. The Eagles sit just four points above the relegation zone, but the 21-year-old’s list of admirers grows with each passing week. He’s made more tackles and interceptions combined (128) than any other Premier League player this season and he is deservedly Palace’s highest rated played with a 7.27, that enough to make the cut in this list. 

Allan Saint-Maximin - Nice (7.29 rating) 

17 games into the season and Allan Saint-Maximin is already enjoying his most prolific league campaign having scored four league goals for Nice this term. Patrick Vieira’s side may be struggling for consistency, but the young wideman has thrived on the left or right flank, or through the middle, having completed more dribbles (72) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season, while 40 key passes is the fourth best in Ligue 1 and has helped return a 7.29 WhoScored rating. 

Ibrahim Sangare - Toulouse (7.31 rating) 

Ibrahim Sangare’s return to fitness comes at just the right time for Toulouse, who now sit just four points above the relegation playoff spot in Ligue 1. The Ivorian has only recently come back into the side after he slipped on a bar of soap that meant he hasn’t started a league match since early October. Toulouse are all the better for the 21-year-old’s inclusion in the side, with their points per game average dropping from 1.4 to 0.8 when he doesn’t start. A return of 4.1 tackles per 90 is the second best in Ligue 1 this term and has contributed to Sangare earning a WhoScored rating of 7.31.

Jadon Sancho - Borussia Dortmund (7.35 rating) 

The final Englishman to make the cut and Borussia Dortmund’s second player is teenage sensation Jadon Sancho. The England international has made more key passes (30) than any other teenager in Europe’s top five leagues this season, while six goals and seven assists means he is having a direct hand in a goal every 78.8 minutes in the Bundesliga. Having largely featured from the bench early in the campaign, Sancho has gone on to become a first team regular under Lucien Favre and it’s helped push Dortmund to the Bundesliga’s summit and returned the 18-year-old a WhoScored rating of 7.35. 

Ousmane Dembele - Barcelona (7.41 rating) 

Ousmane Dembele has endured a topsy turvy Barcelona career to date, with his debut campaign disrupted through injury and while he has endured his critics this term, the Frenchman has impressed this season as the Blaugrana’s regular left winger in a 4-3-3 setup. Seven goals and three assists is a commendable return for the attacker, while averages of 2.5 key passes and 3.2 successful dribbles per 90 are notable to say the least. His WhoScored rating of 7.41 is the third best in La Liga this season behind teammates Lionel Messi (8.62) and Luis Suarez (7.64) and the second best of players aged 21 and under in Europe’s top five leagues. 

Kylian Mbappe - PSG (7.97 rating) 

Pipping Dembele to top spot is compatriot Kylian Mbappe. The PSG star has been in fine form for the French champions this season having had a direct hand in 18 league goals already, scoring 14 and assisting four. The 20-year-old is already a supremely talented individual and he has the ability to improve further in time and establish himself as one of the best players on the continent. Additional returns of 2.5 successful dribbles and 1.7 key passes per 90 are commendable and has helped PSG open up a 13-point lead at Ligue 1’s summit, and that’s with two games in hand over second-placed Lille. His individual displays have landed Mbappe a WhoScored rating of 7.97, with that the best of all youngsters in Europe’s top five leagues this season.