Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold the shock exclusion from U21 Team of the Season

Here we run through the best WhoScored rated U21 XI from Europe's top five leagues for the 2019/20 campaign.

Players aged 21 and under at the start of their respective league campaigns are eligible for selection, while goalkeepers must have been 23 and under. Furthermore, players must have featured in half the league games available to them to qualify.

Goalkeeper: Predrag Rajkovic (Reims) - 7.03 rating

Signed from Maccabi Tel Aviv over the summer, Predrag Rajkovic has done what few goalkeepers manage and make the headlines for all the right reasons. Now 24, Rajkovic has been immense in goal for Reims and is currently the goalkeeper in the WhoScored Team of the Season in Ligue 1.

That Reims have the best defensive record in Ligue 1 (21 goals conceded) is testament to Rajkovic between the sticks, as the Serbian shot-stopper has remarkably saved four of the five penalties he has faced in France's top-flight this season.

Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.36 rating

Achraf Hakimi pips Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold for a place at right-back following a thoroughly impressive second season at Borussia Dortmund on loan from Spanish giants Real Madrid. Hakimi has impressively hit 10 assists for the Bundesliga campaign and has also weighed in with three goals. It's been the best season by a distance in a very short career for the 21-year-old and now Madrid need to decide whether to cash in or blood him into their first-team for next season.

Centre-back: Dan-Axel Zagadou (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.10 rating

Sticking with Borussia Dortmund, Dan-Axel Zagadou makes the top rated U21 XI at centre-back. Zagadou has featured in just over half of Dortmund's league games this season and has particuarly come on strong since the turn of the year, with two WhoScored Man of the Match displays in the club's last three league games. Zagadou scored his first league goal of the campaign in that time and also has one assist in 2019/20. Moreover, of players eligible for this XI to have made at least 10 appearances in Europe's top five leagues this season, Zagadou has the best pass success rate 91.1%.

Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig) - 7.23 rating

Dayot Upamecano's long-term future remains uncertain but the young Frenchman hasn't let any speculation affect his performances on the pitch. The 21-year-old has been immense for RB Leipzig this season and is in the WhoScored Team of the Season for Europe's top five leagues. Of players aged 21 and under on the continent this season, only Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori (76.7) averages more passes per game than Upamecano (72.7). Upamecano also averages 2.1 tackles per game and 3.3 clearances per game.

Left-back: Alphsono Davies (Bayern Munich) - 7.54 rating

Alphonso Davies has been a revelation for Bayern Munich this season and his performances at left-back have been all-the-more impressive considering he is naturally a winger. The 19-year-old has scored one goal and provided four assists in 21 league appearances for Bayern so far this season. Starting so deep appears to play to Davies' strength as a powerful ball-carrier, as the Canada international ranks second of all players aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues for successful dribbles per game (3).

Right wing: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.90 rating

Jadon Sancho continues to go from strength to strength for Borussia Dortmund and it's only a matter of time before the England ace makes a £100M+ move. The 20-year-old has scored or assisted 29 goals in 23 league appearances for Dortmund (14 goals, 15 assists) and was the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in Europe's top five leagues in 2019/20. Furthermore, Sancho has scored and assisted in more individual league games than any other player on the continent (9).

Central midfield: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) - 7.52 rating

After a relatively slow start to the seaon, Christopher Nkunku has really exploded into life since the turn of the year. Of the 22 league appearances Nkunku has made this season, only 15 have been starts but he has remarkably managed to score four goals and return 12 assists for RB Leipzig in 2019/20. He averages a goal or an assist every 90.7 minutes of playing time and has picked up the WhoScored Man of the Match award four times. Against Schalke in Feburary, Nkunku became the first player to register four assists in a single Bundesliga game since September 2012. Furthermore, the 22-year-old also has the best cross accuracy (41.1%) in Europe's top five leagues this season (30+ accurate crosses).

Central midfield: Martin Odegaard (Real Sociedad) - 7.29 rating

As Barcelona and Real Madrid underwhelm at the top of LaLiga, Martin Odegaard has been one of the real stars in Spain's top-flight this season. His parent club, Madrid, certainly could do with his creativity but their loss has certainly been Real Sociedad's gain, as La Real push for Champions League football for next season. Odegaard has played a direct hand in nine goals in LaLiga this season (four goals, five assists). Impressively, only Leo Messi (2.5) averages more key passes per game than Odegaard (2.3) in LaLiga in 2019/20. Moreover, a return of 2.4 dribbles per game is good enough to rank fourth in LaLiga.

Left wing: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) - 7.34 rating

Marcus Rashford managed 10 league goals in 33 league games in 2018/19 and has 14 goals in 22 league appearances this season. A serious back injury in January threatened to end Rashford's season there and then but the England international should now play a important role in Manchester United's season when it is finally safe for football to return. Despite missing the last two months of the season, Rashford is only five goals behind the leading scorer in the Premier League. Moreover, only two players have picked up the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than Rashford (6) in the Premier League this season. Moreover, a return of 3.4 shots per game ranks second in England's top-flight this term.

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

Despite a relatively stop-start season for Kylian Mbappe, the 21-year-old has still managed to play a direct hand in 23 goals in 20 league appearances this season. The Paris Saint-Germain striker has scored 18 times and provided five assists and has picked up the WhoScored Man of the Match award six times. Moreover, only Luis Muriel (3) averages more shots on target per 90 minutes than Mbappe (2.9) in Europe's top five leagues this season of players of all ages. The France international also averages 2 key passes per game and 2.8 successful dribbles per game.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.75 rating

Erling Haaland has made a sensational start to life at Borussia Dortmund after snubbing Manchester United to join the Bundesliga outfit at the start of the year. Haaland has featured in all eight league games possible since signing for Dortmund and is therefore eligible to make this XI. Haaaland scored a hat-trick off the bench on his debut for Dortmund and followed that up with braces in each of his next two league games. The 19-year-old has scored nine goals and provided one assist in his first eight league appearances for Dortmund and there is already talk of a summer move to Real Madrid.