World Cup 2018: Young Players XI

Midfielders

Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Torreira

CDM: Wilfrid Ndidi

Wilfrid Ndidi continues to be one of the most underrated players in the world as his defensive brilliance was key for Nigeria in their World Cup campaign. The Leicester City midfielder made an incredible four interceptions and five tackles per game (ranked 1st and 2nd in the World Cup respectively). This solidity in midfield was key for Nigeria as they kept a clean sheet against Iceland and almost eliminated Argentina in their last group game. If Ndidi continues improving, Nigeria could have one of the world’s best defensive midfielders.

CDM: Lucas Torreira

The recent Arsenal signing Lucas Torreira was similarly vital to his Uruguayan side, as his work in defensive midfield was key for one of the best tournament defences. Torreira helped provide support to Godin and Gimenez, doing a great job of shielding the centre-backs. He also managed to help negate the impact of attacking midfielders like Denis Cheryshev and Bernardo Silva during the tournament.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

For years, Uruguay were a team built around their incredible defence and the talent of their forwards (Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani). There was very little creativity in the team, as they relied on the inter-play of the strikers to create goals. This changed (to a certain extent) in this tournament as the young Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur helped create opportunities for his teammates. Considering that Bentancur is the third Uruguayan in this XI, one can see how the team’s future remains bright.