Cologne - As a conveyor belt for young talent, the Bundesliga is unmatched worldwide. The German national team has reaped the benefits with success at the FIFA World Cup 2014, while top-flight youngsters have been leaving quite the mark at international age-group tournaments this summer.
Over the course of this five-part series, bundesliga.com will run the rule over 25 players of 20 or under, all of whom are set to make an impact in 2015/16. Let's kick off with part one...
Jeremy Dudziak
Date of birth: 28/8/1995
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga appearances to date: 3
Dudziak has impressed in pre-season, finding the net in BVB's defeat to Bochum. The long-legged, pacey left-back joined from local rivals Schalke at the age of 14 and has since played plenty of third-division football for the five-time German champions' reserves, as well as making his top-flight debut at Hannover 96 on Matchday 26 last campaign. Although eligible to play for Tunisia, Ghana or Germany, Dudziak, who has made two Under-20 appearances for die Nationalmannschaft, has left no doubt where his loyalties lie. "If I had to decide, I'd definitely play for Germany," he told Reviersport in 2011.
Marvin Friedrich
Date of birth: 13/12/1995
Club: FC Schalke 04
Bundesliga appearances to date: 5
A centre-half by trade, although comfortable anywhere across the back four, Marvin Friedrich's calm, unflustered style has caught new Schalke coach Andre Breitenreiter's eye in pre-season. The 19-year-old, who won the U-19 UEFA European Championships with Germany in 2014, has featured in all four of the Royal Blues' friendlies so far. The Knappenschmiede product made his Bundesliga debut at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 3 last season, thereafter alternating between the first-team squad and the reserves before playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat at Hamburg on the final day.
Luca Waldschmidt
Date of birth: 19/5/1996
Club: Eintracht Frankfurt
Bundesliga appearances to date: 3
The powerful, robust centre-forward would certainly have made more Bundesliga appearances than the three he managed in 2014/15 had it not been for repeated groin problems. After going under the knife, Waldschmidt recovered to feature against Dortmund, SV Werder Bremen and Bayer 04 Leverkusen, before making three appearances at the UEFA U-19 European Championships in Greece this summer. With injury worries behind him, the 19-year-old is likely to turn out regularly for the Eagles this campaign, particularly after demonstrating all his finishing qualities by scoring a hat-trick in a recent friendly.
Mandela Egbo
Date of birth: 17/08/1997
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Bundesliga appearances to date: N/A
The highly rated Englishman joined Borussia Mönchengladbach this summer from Premier League side Crystal Palace FC. The right-back, who is equally at home on the wing, made 14 appearances for Palace’s U-21 side last season, as well as travelling with the first team in November. With 18 caps at age-group level for England and having won the European Championships with the U-17s in Malta in summer 2014, London-born Egbo will link up with the Foals' reserves with a view to breaking into the senior set-up. "He's a player with huge potential," commented the club's sporting director, Max Eberl.
Batuhan Altintas
Date of birth: 13/03/1996
Club: Hamburger SV
Bundesliga appearances to date: N/A
Widely regarded as one of Turkey’s finest young goalscoring talents, Hamburg have pulled off quite the coup in securing Altintas' signature from Bursaspor. Although internal issues prevented him from making the breakthrough in the Turkish top-flight club's first team, the 19-year-old's record at youth level is phenomenal, averaging a goal a game at U-21 and U-18 level, as well as scoring 22 goals in 23 games with the U-17s. It is form which has transferred to national age group levels: in 46 appearances from the U16s to the U-19s, the rangy frontman has found the net 19 times.
