Man Utd and Chelsea targets make European U21 Team of the Season

 

Having already revealed our best WhoScored rated XI across Europe's top five leagues for 2019/20, it's time to show some recognition for the top performing youngsters on the continent. In order to qualify for the XI a player must have been 21 or younger at the start of the campaign. It doesn't matter if they are 22 now, as long as they were U21 at one point during the season.

 

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan) - 6.81 rating

 

Only two goalkeepers kept more clean sheets in Serie A this season than Donnarumma (13), while the 21-year-old saved more penalties than any other shot-stopper in the division (4).

 

Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.32 rating

 

Achraf Hakimi's concluded his two-year loan deal with Borussia Dortmund in career-best form, finishing the 2019/20 Bundesliga season with five goals and 10 assists. Moreover, only three players completed more dribbles than the 21-year-old in the Bundesliga (73).

 

Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig) - 7.06 rating

 

Only one player won possession in the defensive third more times than RB Leipzig starlet Dayot Upamecano in the Bundesliga this season (146). Moreover, the 21-year-old completed 72.2% of his attempted tackles and 76.3% of his attempted dribbles.

 

Centre-back: Boubacar Kamara (Marseille) - 6.99 rating

 

Dividing his time between defence and midfield, Boubacar Kamara helped Marseille secure their best league finish (2nd) in seven years. Kamara averaged 2.8 tackles per game and 1.4 interceptions per game, finishing the campaign with a goal and two assists to his name.

 

Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 7.52 rating

 

Asked to play out of position at left-back, Alphonso Davies was a revelation for Bayern Munich this season. The 19-year-old scored three goals and registered five assists, while completing more dribbles than any other defender in Europe's top five leagues (82).

 

Man Utd and Chelsea targets make European U21 Team of the Season

 

Right wing: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.64 rating

 

The 20-year-old was the first player in Europe's top five leagues to register double figures for both goals and assists. Jadon Sancho finished the campaign with 33 goal contributions (17 goals, 16 assists), at least nine more than any other player eligible for the U21 team of the season.

 

Central midfield: Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen) - 7.24 rating

 

Kai Havertz played a direct hand in 18 goals in 30 league appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in what could prove his final campaign for the club amid intense interest from Chelsea.

 

Central midfield: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - 7.33 rating

 

Despite only starting 21 of his 32 league appearances for RB Leipzig this season, Christopher Nkunku still managed 13 assists and five goals. He played a direct hand in a Bundesliga goal every 107.1 minutes of playing time. Moreover, Nkunku was the only player in Europe's top five leagues to register four assists in a single match.

 

Left wing: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) - 7.35 rating

 

Marcus Rashford, who turned 22 midway through the 2019/20 campaign, enjoyed his best ever season in front of goal. Rashford scored 17 times in the Premier League, seven more than his previous best, and also chipped in with seven assists.

 

Striker: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 8.14 rating

 

Managed a direct hand in 23 goals in 20 league appearances for Paris Saint-Germain before the 2019/20 Ligue 1 season was curtailed (18 goals, five assists).

 

Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.45 rating

 

Only five players scored more Bundesliga goals than Erling Haaland in 2019/20 (13) despite only joining Borussia Dortmund in January. Haaland scored a hat-trick on debut despite coming off the bench with 34 minutes to go. Of players that started at least 10 games in Europe's top five leagues this season, only two scored more frequently than Haaland (one every 81.7 minutes of action).

Man Utd and Chelsea targets make European U21 Team of the Season