Given the real shortage of strikers in Europe, young goalscorers are being hoarded much like Chelsea's youth model. Maybe not as vulgar as that sounds but the economic and urban development of Europe has led kids to train with academies rather than on the street and that's killing part of their talent.
Arsene Wenger predicted this a while ago and admitted that the situation is not ideal for everyday people but it encourages kids to adapt to the pressure and develop a sort of winning attitude.
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There are a bunch of clubs all over Europe who continuously produce some incredible talents. Many of today's talented youngsters don the red and white of Amsterdam, or the red and white of Monaco, or the red and white of North London... and you get the idea. But strikers, those are the rare ones: the natural goalscorers, the ones with more desire in them than anyone else on the field and so on.
So, here's looking at five under-19 strikers who could come to rule European football in the years to come:
#5 Kasper Dolberg
The kind of strikers Ajax have had in the past only mean good things for the future and their future is the 19-year-old centre-forward, Kasper Dolberg. The Dane only broke into the first team at the start of the current season and has already put the ball in the back of the net twelve times.
Dolberg is the European centre forward cliché. He's great with the ball at his feet but usually enjoys feeding his wingers and attacking midfielders the chance to tuck away rather than going on his own, beating the line and scoring past the keeper.
He's already scored twelve goals this season so passing and key-passing aren't his only strength. He's got the pace and the timing to get past the defence and it's showing. Dolberg is tipped for the very top and is valued at around €20 million by the Amsterdam club and has admirers in Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.
#4 Marcus Rashford
19-year-old Marcus Rashford broke onto the scene last year under former manager Louis van Gaal. His Premier League debut included scoring twice against rivals Arsenal. And if that wasn't the best way to announce yourself on to the world, what is?
Rashford is everything Wayne Rooney was all those years ago. He's quick, he's fearless, he's got a great eye for goal and the pass that could make the difference. Manchester United utilised him abundantly last season but under the new manager, Jose Mourinho, he's seeing lesser game time. But for someone so young and tender, slowly bringing him into the game is the way to go.
Currently valued at €10 million according to transfermarkt.com, Rashford is unlikely to leave the club anytime in the future. With his contract set to expire only in 2021 and with the club able to call upon an option to extend it by another year, the Theatre of Dreams can continue to drool.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
Perhaps the most followed young striker in all of Europe currently, 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe is proving to be sensational for Leonardo Jardim's side given the way he's broken onto the scene in France. Even before he could make his debut for the side, Premier League side Manchester City bid excess of €30 million for him – the clearest of indications how much Europe – and Pep Guardiola – rate him already.
He's quick, he loves dribbling with the ball at his feet and he's someone who could soon follow Anthony Martial's footsteps and make it to British shores in the summer. With only two years left on his current contract, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are all expected to dangle as much money as possible for the youngster.
#2 Gabriel Jesus
19-year-old Gabriel Jesus is already being touted as the young striker who's capable of usurping Sergio Aguero's throne at Manchester City. And boy has he made the right first impression.
With three goals and two assists in only his first four appearances for Manchester City, Jesus looks like the kind of striker truly capable of living up to the hype train. Pep Guardiola thinks he's worth his weight in gold and that's not something we hear very often.
Jesus is quick, lethal anywhere in the box and has the desire to chase any loose ball for the benefit of his team. He's only 19 and has the right ingredients to become hugely successful in Europe. With the kind of project that seems to be developing at the Etihad, he's in the right club under the right manager with the right kind of talent around him to achieve said milestone.
#1 Breel Embolo
The most valuable under-19 striker in the whole world is Swiss international and FC Schalke's new recruit, Breel Embolo. After a decently successful UEFA European Championships campaign last summer, Embolo was linked with a move to Manchester United, Real Madrid and more but eventually chose the Bundesliga club simply because he could get the kind of game time he wanted.
Having spent a majority of his youth career with FC Basel and impressing while there, Embolo hasn't lived up to his potential with the Ruhr club. That either because he hasn't had the right kind of team around him or because he's been recuperating from a deadline cruciate ligament injury he's since sustained.
Nonetheless, the 19-year-old has the athletic build, pace and the finishing to succeed anywhere in years to come. He's currently valued at €20 million by transfermarkt.com and has already made 16 appearances for the Swiss senior side. He's the real deal with a bright future ahead of him. Once he's back to 100%, he'll continue to prove to the world just how talented he is.
