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Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) and Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton)
When KRC Genk sold Ndidi to Leicester in January 2017 for £15 million, they made a huge profit on a player they signed for just £78,000.
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Ndidi was one of Leicester’s standout performers last season and his combative style of play is earning him rave reviews and interest from some top European clubs. The Nigerian had a difficult childhood and grew up playing football with guys above his age group. Such situations has moulded him into one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old made the most number of tackles in the Premier League last season and his tally of 138 was better than the nearest competitor by 21 tackles.
He is a crucial member of a young and exciting Nigeria team participating at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Ruben Neves was not included in Portugal’s final 23-man list for the World Cup despite being named in the preliminary squad but still only 21, the Wolves midfielder can definitely star for his country in the forthcoming international tournaments.
Neves became the youngest player to start as captain in a UEFA Champions League game while playing for Porto, but he made a surprise move to Championship side Wolves in the summer of 2017.
He was clearly superior to most players in the league and eased Wolves to the Championship title and will play for the club in the Premier League next season. He was nominated for the EFL Championship Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season in 2017/18 but lost out to Ryan Sessegnon. However, he was named in the team of the season.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Neves has been praised for his leadership skills, passing ability, positional sense and courage to go forward. He scored six times for Wolves last season and all six were spectacular goals.
Honourable mentions: Houssem Aouar (Olympique Lyon) and Tanguy Ndombele (Olympique Lyon)
