5 Real Madrid Academy Players to Watch for in 2015 and Beyond

It was an encouraging sign for Real Madrid's academy in early December when six players from La Fabrica finished the club's 5-0 victory over Cornella at the Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey. 

"We finished the game with six players from the cantera (youth) squad, which is great news," manager Carlo Ancelotti remarked proudly after the match, per Goal. 

Indeed, it was a notable occurrence for Real Madrid, given that the club's recent reputation for producing its own stars has taken a significant hit during much of Florentino Perez's presidency.

But that appears to be slowly changing at the Bernabeu, with the likes of Jese, Daniel Carvajal and Nacho all recent graduates of the club's academy.

Across the following slides, we examine five more players in the club's youth setup to keep an eye on in 2015 and beyond. 

Alvaro Medran

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Those who've watched Real Madrid closely this season will already be familiar with Alvaro Medran, the 20-year-old midfielder who's made five appearances in the first team in 2014-15. 

Two have come in the league, two more have come in the Copa del Rey and another came in the Champions League against Ludogorets, where he scored his first senior goal for the club. 

A member of the Real Madrid Castilla squad, the Andalusian has progressed quickly through the club's academy since arriving in 2011. Just last season, Medran was playing with the C-team, but forced his way into the B-team by February. 

After impressing in his opening months as a professional in the Segunda Division, Medran then found himself with Carlo Ancelotti's first team for the club's pre-season tour of the United States, thanks largely to the absence of Real Madrid's leading players, who hadn't returned to the squad after the World Cup.

Though the European champions struggled in the pre-season tournament, the under-19 Spain international showed enough to take Ancelotti's interest and is now the most prominent academy star at the club.  

Considered similar to Isco in terms of playing style, the Cordoba-born talent can operate as an advanced playmaker or a central midfielder—the sort of versatility that's required to make an appearance in this star-studded Real Madrid outfit. 

Diego Llorente

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One of the key assets a young defender can have when progressing through the youth ranks at a major club is a capacity to play in multiple positions across the back four. 

A Real Madrid academy product, Nacho is a good example for those looking to follow his path to the Bernabeu, with the 24-year-old earning minutes under Carlo Ancelotti because of his ability to play as a central defender and a full-back. 

Diego Llorente, currently in the Castilla squad but a player who's already made his senior debut, is a similar type of defender. 

Tall, strong in the air and quick across the ground, the 21-year-old has made appearances in La Liga in each of the last two seasons and was a prominent member of Carlo Ancelotti's pre-season squad in the United States. 

The youngest of a talented group of defenders on the fringes of the first team, Llorente will hope to challenge Nacho and Raphael Varane for starts in the years to come. 

Javier Munoz

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When Carlo Ancelotti was reflecting on the presence of six academy stars on the field against Cornella earlier in December, one of the players he was quick to mention was 19-year-old Javier Munoz.

"We get players that are ready to go like [Alvaro] Medran and [Diego] Llorente," Ancelotti said of the club's youth system while praising the work of Castilla coach Zinedine Zidane, per ESPN FC. "[Javier] Munoz was also very assured."

Described by the club's official website as "a gifted attacking midfielder with many qualities that could see him go far in football," Munoz has been with the club since 2006 when he joined as an 11-year-old. 

Given his quick progress from the C-team to the Castilla squad and then to the senior squad, one can expect this talented playmaker with outstanding vision to be a prominent midfielder on the professional stage in the coming years, whether it be at Real Madrid or elsewhere. 

Marcos Llorente

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Big things are expected of Marcos Llorente, the 19-year-old son of former Real Madrid player Paco Llorente, nephew of club legend Paco Gento and grandson of Ramon Moreno Grosso.

Currently in the Castilla squad, Llorente joined the club as a 13-year-old in 2008 and has progressed through the club's under-14, under-16 and under-18 ranks to his current position in the B-team. 

During the pre-season, the talented midfielder was also included Real Madrid's first-team squad to tour the United States. At the time, Pablo Polo of Marca reported that Carlo Ancelotti had been "bowled over" by the tall and skinny teenager.

Polo's report went on to add:

"

Ancelotti is as taken aback as he was last year with Jese. If the boy from the Canary Islands was the big sensation and the youth team darling last summer, it will be of surprise to very few if he gives Marcos the same treatment.

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A rangy midfielder, Llorente is a driving force in the centre of the pitch and a player with great creativity and a quick burst of pace.

Jack Harper

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Dubbed by some as the "Scottish Ronaldo," Jack Harper is expected by many to be a star forward in La Liga in years to come. 

Born in Malaga to Scottish parents, the 18-year-old is a precocious forward with an eye for goal and wonderful technical proficiency. 

Handed a five-year contract with Real Madrid in 2012 after steadily working his way through the ranks from the under-14 level, Harper gave an indication of his stunning talent during the UEFA Youth League earlier this season when he scored with a header and smashed a bicycle kick onto the bar in a dominant performance. 

Harper also appears keen to hold onto his ties with his heritage, having represented Scotland at under-19 level. Former Scottish FA performance director Mark Wotte, who, during his time in the role, visited Real Madrid's academy to see Harper, also compared his style with that of Robin van Persie, according to the Daily Mail:

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I spoke with the people at Real when I was out there and we are not yet sure where Jack's best position is – is he a No 9 or a No 10?

I worked with van Persie (at Feyenoord) and he was a similar style of player – left-footed and long-legged. Sometimes you didn't see him for 20 minutes then he did something magnificent.

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Though there's still a long way to go for Harper before he reaches the senior level—he hasn't yet progressed to the Castilla squad—the signs are there that he's a star of the future.