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England has solidified its status as a breeding ground for young and promising footballers. The various English divisions offer enough levels to develop and move upwards for any footballer. U18 football, played at academy level and Premier League 2 (U23 and reserves), are the first steps for up-and-coming players.
Additionally, clubs across various English divisions have well laid out policies concerning loan opportunities to prepare their young guns for senior level football.
Many young players in England have benefitted from these policies of the Premier League clubs in particular. At a very tender age, these players have made the world sit up and take notice. On that note, here are five of the best English U21 players in the world right now:
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#5 Mason Greenwood
Since his debut, Mason Greenwood has gone from strength-to-strength in cementing his position as a reliable forward for Manchester United. There are not many who at 19 wore the Red Devils' jersey and shouldered the responsibility of providing goals without fretting.
The forward is a natural finisher inside the box and possesses a killer instinct to test the keeper from anywhere on the pitch. Greenwood is preferred on the right flank of the 4-2-3-1 system that Ole Solskjaer currently deploys. However, such is his decisiveness and composure that he can easily fit into the centre-forward's role.
The youngster's ability to drop deep has allowed the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to join in attacks, which collectively brings United on the front foot. With Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm now, Greenwood is under excellent stewardship and can learn how to be prolific from wide areas.
Greenwood is the youngest player for the Red Devils to score twice in Europe, a feat he achieved in a Europa League game. So far, he's had a brilliant start to the new campaign, scoring three goals in six league games.
#4 Bukayo Saka
Arguably Arsenal's most prized possession in the squad, Bukayo Saka is clearly destined for greatness. Mikel Arteta is building a young squad with the hope that he can turn these promising players into future stars, and he would be very happy to see the trajectory Saka has been on.
Saka's presence of mind and sharp decision-making skills while stitching passes is a reflection of the true Arsenal DNA. Since coming to the senior team, Saka has been utilized in various positions and has impressed in most roles. He has been utilized as a left-back, a left-winger and on right-wing. The last of them being his preferred position.
At Euro 2020, when Saka took to the big stage for England, he impressed many former English internationals turned pundits. Saka brought a certain innovation and creativity to the team that allowed the likes of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane to be fed more. Further, his ability to take on defenses, straight on, is only getting better.
Many believe that Saka will be among the top contenders for the Golden Boy award, though he may not win it. Arsenal will have to ensure that they remain ambitious and competitive as a team because Saka will never be short of potential suitors.
#3 Jadon Sancho
A drawn-out transfer saga finally came to an end when Manchester United announced the arrival of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for £73 million this summer. His arrival has filled United supporters, who are assured that the club has secured a future star, with optimism and hope.
Sancho joined the Manchester City academy back in 2014 with high ambitions of playing for club and country. However, when City offered him a senior professional contract in 2017, he was unconvinced by the opportunities being guaranteed and engineered a move to German side Borussia Dortmund. That was the start of something special.
With Sancho, the Red Devils have got a player who has shown a knack for finding the back of the net as well as helping his team-mates do the same. At Borussia Dortmund, when Sancho enjoyed his purple patches, which were quite often, he would be unplayable and entertaining at the same time.
The winger commanded the attention of the whole football community when he was lighting up Signal Iduna Park with his fine display in the Bundesliga. He made the cut to Team of the Year in the German top flight two years in a row from 2018-2020.
#2 Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham is the youngest player on the list, but by no means the easiest to go against on the pitch. The 18-year-old also flourished at Borussia Dortmund thanks to their policy of trusting young talent with first-team football on a regular basis.
For someone with his work rate to be technically strong on the ball and be able to create time and space for passes from midfield is commendable. The early signs were always visible when he was part of Birmingham City and he wasted no time at Dortmund to show the world what he's made of.
On his debut, he scored for Dortmund, becoming their youngest scorer ever. It's not the only piece of history he has to his name. He was so good for Birmingham City in his first professional season that they retired his No.22 shirt when he left.
Gareth Southgate has kept tabs on the youngster's confident and responsible displays which earned him a call up to Euro 2020. Bellingham became the youngest ever Englishman to feature in a major international tournament when he played England's Euro 2020 opener against Croatia in June.
#1 Phil Foden
If you can break into Pep Guardiola's team at 20 and cement your spot as the starter amidst Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling, you are special. Phil Foden has done exactly the same and is a generational talent who is being nurtured by one of the greatest managers.
To quote Guardiola, "He is the only player that can't be sold under any circumstances, the only one. Not even for €500 million." The Spanish coach's statement goes on to show that Foden could really be the center of attraction in world football sooner rather than later.
Although Manchester City have consistently lifted silverware since Guardiola's arrival and their squad is arguably second to none in Europe, they have a David Silva-sized gap there. That is exactly where Foden could fit in. He can play on the left, on the right, through the middle. His excellent passing distribution and an eye for the goal makes it difficult to predict his moves.
The Premier League champions are in negotiations to tie Foden to an attractive long-term contract that will reportedly add to his current wages by an amount of £100,000-a-week.
Last season, Foden was integrated into the Manchester City squad as a regular and started frequently in the Premier League. He decorated his 28 league appearances with nine goals and four assists. Overall, Foden played 50 games, scoring 16 goals and registering 10 assists.
