Six of the Best: Young Midfielders in Europe

A young player leaving his mark on a team is always enough to make fans smile. Often harbouring high hopes for highly rated youngsters, when they have the desired impact, it’s always a real hihg point of any season. Here, WhoScored.com run through six of the best midfielders aged 21 and under to make 15 or more league appearances in Europe’s top five leagues this season. 

Julian Weigl – Borussia Dortmund (7.04) 

Borussia Dortmund may not be thriving in the Bundesliga this season, with Thomas Tuchel’s side now 14 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, but the German manager is assembling one of the most talented young squads on the continent. He needn’t have gone far in his attempts to build around a midfield lynchpin either, with youngster Julian Weigl continuing to develop into a key man for Dortmund. Only Bayern Munich (64.5%) are averaging more possession than Dortmund (60.3%) in Germany’s top tier this term, with Weigl crucial to the club’s desire to have a stranglehold of opponents. 

The 21-year-old ranks 7th for passes per game (72.5) and 4th for pass success rate (90.6%) in the Bundesliga this season, with Weigl’s distribution helping him earn a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘passing’. While he offers little in the way of creative thrust having averaged just 0.2 key passes per game so far this term, Weigl’s key duty is to keep Dortmund ticking over and shield the backline with 2.1 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game both solid returns to help him gain a WhoScored rating of 7.04. 

Mahmoud Dahoud – Borussia Monchengladbach (7.10) 

Liverpool fans have been monitoring Mahmoud Dahoud’s progress closely in recent months after being strongly linked with a move to Anfield since the summer. The Syrian-born midfielder only made his 15th league appearance of the season in Gladbach’s 1-0 win at Werder Bremen last weekend, but that’s not to say he hasn’t impressed when called upon. A WhoScored rating of 7.10 is the third highest of all Gladbach players this term as he continues to excel. 

He plays a crucial role in injecting creativity in the middle of the park, with 1.1 key passes per game the 4th best of all Gladbach players this term. 1.1 dribbles per game is also a respectable return, with Dahoud as capable of picking out teammates as he is driving the team forward from deep. After the sale of Granit Xhaka last summer, there was ample pressure on the 21-year-old to take over the reins of the Swiss star in the middle of the park and while Gladbach are currently 10th, Dahoud has not flattered to deceive. 

Ellyes Skhiri – Montpellier (7.11) 

Montpellier may be languishing in 11th in Ligue 1, but they have on their books a fair share of talented personnel. Ryad Boudebouz continues to establish himself as one of Europe’s most effective creative outlets, while young striker Steve Mounie has excelled since establishing himself as first choice frontman, bagging nine league goals this term. Further back still, Jean-Louis Gasset has at his disposal one of the most promising midfielders in France. Ellyes Skhiri broke onto the scene in the 2014/15 season, but it wasn’t until this campaign that the 21-year-old has managed to nail down a regular starting spot. 

Skhiri has made more interceptions (76) than any other player in Ligue 1 this season, which ranks 4th in Europe’s top five leagues. His excellent reading of the game belies his tender years, while 2.8 tackles per league game highlight how he is not willing to shirk his physical responsibilities for the good of the team either. Montpellier’s defensive record makes for grim reading this season, but it could well have been worse had Skhiri not been working tirelessly in the middle of the park to limit the pressure on the defence. 

Dele Alli – Tottenham (7.20) 

With 13 games of the Premier League campaign to go, Dele Alli has already scored more goals this season (11) than last (10) as he continues to go from strength to strength. It’s difficult to believe the England international is only 20 years old considering how seamlessly he transitioned to Premier League football following his arrival from MK Dons. Indeed, his goalscoring return from midfield is superb, with his form in front of goal earning him a WhoScored rating of 7.20 this term. 

While he’s struggled to have the desired impact in recent weeks, Alli was in excellent goalscoring form over the hectic festive period, netting six of his 11 league goals in wins over Southampton, Watford and Chelsea. Spurs’ pursuit of a Champions League finish could be dependent on Alli’s ability to return to the scoresheet before long. There is undoubtedly more to come from the youngster in the coming years as Mauricio Pochettino moulds the player into one of the finest goalscoring midfielders in the Premier League and Europe. 

Adrien Rabiot – PSG (7.25) 

As PSG romped to a 4-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday night, it was another memorable showing from Adrien Rabiot in the middle of the park. The young Frenchman has struggled for regular first team action in the French capital and has routinely been linked with a move away from the defending champions, but thrives when selected. Indeed, a WhoScored rating of 8.29 against Barcelona was outstanding from the 21-year-old, who could have been shown the Parc des Princes exit door over the summer. 

Grzegorz Krychowiak’s signing from Sevilla suggested Rabiot would be pushed further down the pecking order and while he has made just 11 league starts this term, his form has been enough to return a WhoScored rating of 7.25 this season. A 90.4% pass success rate is one of the better returns in Ligue 1 this campaign, with Rabiot’s chief strength his ability to pick out a teammate. While he is still struggling in his pursuit to consolidate a regular starting spot under Unai Emery, he maintains a fine level of consistency when called upon. 

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Lazio (7.42) 

Lazio have performed above expectations in Serie A this term, with Simone Inzaghi’s side currently 6th in Italy’s top tier. The form of youngster Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the middle of the park has contributed to their commendable campaign to date, with a WhoScored rating (7.42) second only to Felipe Anderson (7.84) of all Lazio players this term. Maximising his 6’3” frame, the young Serb dominates the midfield with aplomb having won more aerial duels (107) than any other player in Serie A this season. 

2.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game are also respectable, while he carries the ball forward effectively from midfield. Of the 56 players to attempt 40 or more dribbles in Italy’s top tier this term, only two have a better success rate then Milinkovic-Savice (75%), bringing possession from midfield to attack with ease. After struggling to nail down a first team berth last term, the 21-year-old is undeniably a first team fixture under Inzaghi and he certainly has a key role to play for Lazio if they are to secure a European finish this term.