da poker： GOAL picks out the top young performers from across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues over the past 10 months
da aposte e ganhe： One of the best things about any season is watching young players take the game by storm – and the 2022-23 campaign has been no different in that regard. Obviously, we all knew that Erling Haaland was pretty damn special before signing for Manchester City, but even the man himself has been amazed by the sheer volume of goals he has scored since moving to the Premier League last summer.
Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka have also been considered superstars-in-the-making for some time now, but which other Under-23s took their games to another level this season?
GOAL picks out the best young players across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues over the past 10 months, and given there are bound to be some close and controversial calls, feel free to let us know your own line-ups in the comments below…
Getty ImagesGK: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese)
It's not been an easy season for Marco Carnesecchi. During a loan spell at Cremonese, the Atalanta-owned goalkeeper has been given little protection by the second-worst defence in Serie A, statistically-speaking.
However, Carnesecchi has managed to forge a reputation as one of the best young shot-stoppers in Italy, with 111 saves and, even more impressively, a save percentage of 69.4 percent – which is better than that of Liverpool ace Alisson (68.5%).
Consequently, the 22-year-old is now being linked with a summer move to Juventus, who are reportedly considering offloading Wojciech Szczesny.
AdvertisementGettyRB: Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
Manchester United are reportedly leading the chase to sign Jeremie Frimpong this summer, and that's not in the least bit surprising. Erik ten Hag needs a right-back that offers more going forward than either Diogo Dalot or Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and the Bayer Leverkusen speedster certainly fits the bill.
Frimpong, who has sometimes played on the wing, has run riot this season, directly involved in 19 goals in all competitions, scoring nine himself. Don't be surprised if United end up paying a hefty fee for the 22-year-old Dutchman, who came through the youth system at Man City.
Getty ImagesCB: William Saliba (Arsenal)
It's highly likely that Manchester City would have eventually overhauled Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table no matter what. Pep Guardiola simply had a deeper and stronger squad at his disposal than Mikel Arteta.
And yet one cannot help but wonder what might have happened had the Gunners not lost William Saliba to injury. Arsenal kept just two clean sheets after the Frenchman suffered a season-ending back injury in March, and both of those arrived after the momentum had shifted completely in City's favour.
Hardly surprising, then, that the Gunners are now doing "everything we can" to convince the centre-half to sign a new contract after belatedly making a massive impact at the Emirates after spending the previous two-and-a-half seasons out on loan.
GettyCB: Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich)
There is no denying that Matthijs de Ligt disappointed at Juventus. The former Ajax captain played well at times but became worryingly error-prone. And yet there was always the nagging feeling that he was simply a bad fit for Juve. And so it proved.
Bayern Munich may not have made many good signings last summer, which led to the dismissal of sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, but De Ligt eventually became the key man in a title-winning defence.
The 23-year-old didn't just make a difference with his perfectly-timed tackles and interventions, either; he also chipped in with a couple of crucial goals during the run-in, against Stuttgart and Freiburg.