The Bundesliga's Top 20 Under 20: Part I
Head coaches, club scouts and football fans around the world are always seeking to unearth future superstars of the sport and in the Bundesliga, a league famed for its youth academies and the development of young talent, it is no different.
Which unheard of talent will be the name on everyone's lips? Who is the next Robert Lewandowski or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? With the 2016/17 campaign fast approaching, bundesliga.com has a four-part series aimed at outlining the top 20 players, 20 years of age or younger, that you should be familiarising yourself with before the season gets underway...
Julian Weigl
Date of birth: 08/09/1995
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Holding midfield
Bundesliga appearances so far: 30
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Max Meyer
Date of birth: 18/09/1995
Club: FC Schalke 04
Position: Attacking midfield
Bundesliga appearances so far: 95
Mahmoud Dahoud
Date of birth: 01/01/1996
Club: Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Central midfield
Bundesliga appearances so far: 33
Leroy Sane
Date of birth: 11/01/1996
Club: FC Schalke 04
Position: Right wing
Bundesliga appearances so far: 47
Watch: Sane's Top 5 Bundesliga goals
With eight goals and as many assists, Leroy Sane was the Bundesliga's most prolific Under-21 player of the 2015/16 campaign. The 20-year-old also rattled off 68 attempts on goal – second at Schalke only to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – had a direct hand in exactly half of all the Royal Blues' clear-cut chances and clocked a joint-league high sprint speed of 35km per hour.
Although he only made one substitute appearance for Germany at UEFA EURO 2016, it is difficult to see the virtuoso left-footer playing anything other than a starring role for club and country in the years ahead.
Jonathan Tah
Date of birth: 11/02/1996
Club: Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Position: Centre-back
Bundesliga appearances so far: 45