The 10 Best Young Talents in World Football

It's that time of the season again; the time where more football transfers are done on your PC playing Football Manager than in real life.

Nonetheless, with the financial crisis now gripping its corrosive tentacles over the world of football, clubs could well be looking to buy good, cheap young players who can develop into future superstars.

Unless you are Manchester City or Real Madrid that is, who have an infinite amount of money and don't need to care about creating the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo from scratch.

So here are 10 of the best young talents; players who have the potential to take World Football by storm and become real superstars.

And no, none of them are from the Arsenal youth academy.

10. Adam Hlousek - Slavia Prague

A left-sided player with brilliant versatility, Adam Hlousek has been tipped by many to become one of the Czech Republic's greatest ever talents.

Despite reportedly seeing himself as a striker, Hlousek is utilised on the left wing by his team, Slavia Prague, and can also play rather comfortably at wing-back.

Hlousek began his career with FK Jablonec—making his debut in 2006—before he was snapped up by Slavia in early 2009. Before joining Slavia, he had a trial in England with Premier League club Portsmouth.

The 21-year old is technically very good, but his main attribute is his pace; he can apparently run 100m in less than 11 seconds, using such speed to devastating affect. And unlike some wingers, he does not dwell on the ball for too long, instead opting to simply beat the opponent with pace.

He is also a good striker off the ball and is already taking most of Slavia's set-pieces, meaning he's already being watched by clubs from across the continent.

Current value: £2.5 million

Potential value: £16 million

9. Vladimir Weiss - Manchester City

He made an assist on his debut, and scored his first senior goal in a quarterfinals against Arsenal; no wonder this 20-year old is already emerging as a key figure for Slovakia, with six caps to his name.

Vladimir Weiss is an out-and-out winger who's comfortable on either wing. He's blessed with blistering pace, superb close control, wonderful skill, and great crosses.

And despite his club's (Manchester City) huge summer spending, Weiss is still being tipped to make the breakthrough at Eastlands.

Reminiscent of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben in his willingness to run at somebody, Weiss is taller than the Dutchman and, if anything, is slightly more open to getting a cross into the area—probably because he has been schooled that way in England.

His performances in helping Slovakia qualify for the World Cup, particularly his display against Northern Ireland where he gave Manchester United centre-back Jonny Evans a torrid time, have cemented his reputation as one of Europe's top young prospects.

Current value: £5 million

Potential value: £25 million

8. Franck Tabanou - Toulouse

Franck Tabanou is quickly emerging as one of the top young prospects in French football.

Born in the Paris suburbs, Tabanou is a left-sided attacking midfielder with great technical qualities.

He is not a tall or powerful player, but his skill more than compensates. He's not frightened to make a challenge, and works very hard up and down the wing.

The 20-year old, who began life in Le Havre's famed youth academy, has become a regular fixture in the Toulouse first-team this season.

A versatile talent, Tabanou can also play at full-back as well as on the wing and his form in recent months have seen a number of scouts flock to see him in action.

West Ham, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint Germain are all known to be keeping tabs on him and they will all be well aware that his contract is due to expire next summer.

Current value: £5 million

Potential value: £23 million

7. Manuel Neuer - Schalke 04

Still only 23 years of age, Manuel Neuer has played nearly 100 first-team games for Bundesliga club Schalke, and also has experience in the UEFA Champions League.

He's a giant at 6-foot-4, but despite his big frame he is agile and able to get down quickly to anything low.

He likes to dominate his box, and like with many modern goalkeepers he has good footwork, while he also possesses a very strong throw which enables him to set up attacks quickly.

As he is still young he remains prone to the odd mistake and he made a couple of big errors last season, but he still helped Schalke concede just 35 goals last term—the best defensive record in Germany.

Neuer is an outstanding goalkeeper, and it is little surprise that Bayern Munich were keen to land him.

Current value: £15 million

Potential value: £30 million

6. Dominic Adiyiah - AC Milan

A very wise move by Serie A giants AC Milan. Forget the arrival of David Beckham, they've signed Ghana starlet Dominic Adiyiah for only £1 million. That's even more of a bargain than Inter Milan getting Samuel Eto'o and £42 million for Zlatan Ibrahimovic!

The 20-year old striker has seen his reputation soar in recent months after he starred at the World Youth Cup in October 2009, and is being heralded as one of Africa's top young players.

Adiyiah took the championship in Egypt be storm, not only helping the Ghanaians to victory, but also finishing as top-scorer and player of the tournament.

It is very easy to compare Adiyiah with Ghanaian legend Abedi Pele—and he does possess many of the same qualities.

His main attribute is his finishing ability, and although better in the box he is more than capable of finishing from long-range.

A well-built, short young man - Adiyiah benefits from having a low centre of gravity and has very good turn of pace.

He is already an accomplished striker, and it is very easy to see why Milan had to hold off interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United to land him.

Expect him to grace the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa with his super talent.

Current value: £1.5 million

Potential value: £45 million

5. Stevan Jovetic - Fiorentina

At just 16 years of age, Stevan Jovetic made his senior debut for Partizan Belgrade and little over 12 months later he really came to the fore as he scored a hat-trick in a UEFA Cup tie.

It was not long after his senior debut for Partizan that he was also making his bow on the international stage, and he was part of the inaugural Montenegro side following their declaration of independence.

Along with the likes of Mirko Vucinic and Simon Vukcevic, the 20-year old is already considered a key member of his national side, with 13 caps and six goals to his name.

A hugely gifted and skillful playmaker, he can play out wide and up front, but central midfield will surely be his long-term home. Two-footed, although very much preferring his right, Jovetic has a wonderful eye for a pass—which is the main weapon in his armoury.

He also has the ability to finish, and his 10 goals in just over 50 appearances for Partizan is testament to that.

He was also the captain of Partizan in early 2008, before moving to Serie A and Fiorentina in a £7.3 million deal. This was despite interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Jovetic made nearly 30 appearances in his debut campaign in Serie A, and although he was in and out of Cesare Prandelli's side, he still did enough to earn plaudits throughout Italy.

Plaudits which increased dramatically when he scored both goals in a 2-0 win at home to Premier League giants Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Current value: £17 million

Potential value: £70 million

4. Gojko Kacar - Hertha Berlin

Gojko Kacar heralds from a sporting dynasty in Serbia, with his appearance at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 seeing him follow in the footsteps of his uncles Slobodan and Tadija—both boxers who won medals at the Moscow and Montreal games.

Kacar has long been heralded as a real prospect in Serbia after making his debut for FK Vojvodina aged just 16.

He soon emerged as a first team regular and in 2007, the same year he made his debut for Serbia Under-21s, he was called into the senior squad.

In 2008 German side Hertha Berlin paid £3 million for Vojvodina, although that now looks a very good piece of business by the Bundesliga outfit.

In his debut season Kacar showed his potential with seven goals, predominatley from midfield, although he is adept in defence and can also play as a striker.

The 22-year old's versatility really is a huge bonus to any coach, but where to play him is the question.

His physical presence and heading ability make him an ideal central defender, but his passing and technical skill also means he can equally feature in midfield.

However, his eye for a goal has also seem him pushed into use as a striker—although the long-term future will likely see him play in midfield (unless total football comes to the fore again!).

Current value: £16 million

Potential value: £38 million

3. Naoki Yamada - Urawa Red Diamonds

Fast becoming a useful marketing tool, Naoki Yamada has emerged as one of Japan's most promising young players in this generation.

A dynamic midfielder, who has a wonderful eye for a pass, he loves to get forward and join in the attack; he has already been likened to Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.

At 5-foot-5, Yamada is small in size, but he is full of energy and uses this to get himself around the pitch—indeed he likes a tackle too, even though he may not always get what he intends!

The 19-year old's progress this year was rewarded by a shock call-up to the Japanese national squad last month, and he became one of their youngest ever internationals.

But Yamada is no flash in the pan and looks to have everything going for him.

Indeed his progress has been so good it appears he could very well feature in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. And perhaps not only feature in the tournament, but do much more.

Current value: £3 million

Potential value: £30 million (and lot's more in terms of marketing!)

2. Alan Dzagoev - CSKA Moscow

Over two years ago, Alan Dzagoev made his CSKA Moscow debut with Spanish newspaper Marca describing the 19-year-old midfielder as "the new Beckham," and the young attacking midfielder even then was drawing attention from some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Since then, he has won five caps for his country, scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League, and has won the Best Young Player of the Year award from the Russian Football Union.

The midfielder has an eye for goal, and has excellent pace and vision, and he's also a dead-ball specialist.

He has a number of assists to his name in his CSKA career, and in the past has formed a deadly partnership with CSKA's Brazilian forward Vagner Love (who is now on loan at Palmeiras).

As the youngest ever player to appear for Russia, Dzagoev looks to have the world at his feet, although he has recently stated that he would prefer to stay in Russia for the time being to continue his development.

Even so, a move to Western Europe surely beckons, with Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, FC Barcelona, etc, all reportedly expressing an interest.

Current value: £13 million

Potential value: £48 million

1. Davide Santon - Inter Milan

A truly outstanding prospect, Davide Santon is one of the best young defenders not only in Serie A, but also in World Football.

The 19-year old has made a rapid rise through the ranks at Inter Milan, and he is already a full international.

Originally a winger, he was soon converted into an attacking full-back—equally at home on the right or left.

His potential was soon spotted by Inter coach Jose Mourinho—who handed him his first-team debut just days after his 18th birthday.

Santon is a first team regular and is also part of Marcello Lippi's squad in the senior Italian national team.

Lippi has branded Santon as the new "Paolo Maldini;" full of pace and attacking intent, and with the ability to tackle greatly, it's clear why.

And what makes him so brilliant is that his tackles are precise and composed; he rarely dives in with a rash challenge.

Overall, Santon is full of quality and he plays like a player way beyond his 19 years. Having made his debut so early, he looks to have the world at his feet.

Current value: £20 million

Potential value: £65 million