5 Academy Prospects Who May Be the Next to Break Through at Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich have one of Europe's best squads, but the German giants have again and again shown their eagerness to evolve and plan for the next generation of talents.

The German record champions have in recent years signed promising youngsters like Joshua Kimmich, Sinan Kurt, Sebastian Rode, Mario Gotze, Thiago Alcantara, Jan Kirchhoff, Xherdan Shaqiri and Mitchell Weiser. They've also promoted the likes of David Alaba and Toni Kroos after loan spells, as well as Thomas Muller and Holger Badstuber.

Now looking through the current squad, there are several Bayern players who are approaching the twilight of their careers. Xabi Alonso and Dante look to soon be on their way out, while Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben are all on the wrong side of 30. Bayern will need to replace all of the aforementioned in time. And to their credit, they've long planned to do so.

Click "Begin Slideshow" for a closer look at the top five prospects to look out for as they aim to make the breakthrough and become stars of the Bayern team in the years to come.

Pierre Hojbjerg

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Currently on loan at Augsburg, Pierre Hojbjerg is in the same phase of his career as David Alaba was while at Hoffenheim in 2011. In the Austrian's case, it took just six months away from Munich for him to develop into a player worthy of the first team; his quick transition was facilitated not only by his immense quality but Bayern's limited options as a second full-back along with Philipp Lahm at the time.

Like Alaba four years ago, Hojbjerg left Bayern in January on a six-month loan, aged 19 years. A minimally used utility player at the Allianz Arena, the Denmark international has been a regular starter for Markus Weinzierl's side for much of the second round. Although he's had his ups and downs, it's hard to deny the Denmark international has made strides in his career and has grown in confidence since scoring a cracking goal from distance against Paderborn earlier this month.

Once a player whose prospects at Bayern appeared in doubt, Hojbjerg has reason to believe he could become a key player at Bayern even as soon as this August. Xabi Alonso has shown his years this season and Pep Guardiola doesn't seem to have much confidence in Sebastian Rode as more than a squad player.

Adding in Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thiago Alcantara's injury woes, there could yet be room for Hojbjerg in the Bayern squad. A versatile, box-to-box player whose range of skills will be attractive to Pep Guardiola, the sky is the limit for the Dane.

Gianluca Gaudino

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Gianluca Gaudino's inclusion in the senior Bayern team during the preseason as a 17-year-old last summer was an early sign his future in Munich could be very bright. He was the youngest Bayern man to feature in the club's friendlies, overcoming some considerable hurdles as he retained his place even when the season properly began.

Born in November of 1996, Gaudino has overcome the Relative Age Effect that makes it more difficult for those born towards the end of the calendar year to break through, as well as the limitations to his game that have come with his physical immaturity.

As with Hojbjerg, there is room in Guardiola's squad for a player of Gaudino's skill set. And although the now-18-year-old Gaudino still is too young for his exact best role to be fixed, he thus far has shown himself to have qualities more similar to the deep distributor Alonso than the box-to-box Hojbjerg. There may well be room in the Bayern lineup for both rising talents.

There still is a long way for Gaudino to go in his development, but he also has a great pedigree in being the son of former Germany international Maurizio. The young midfielder has done outstandingly well against the odds thus far in his career and could soon be a star in the Bayern team.

Sinan Kurt

Whereas Hojbjerg and Gaudino each debuted with the senior Bayern team long ago, Sinan Kurt only made his first appearance for the Munich giants on Saturday. The 18-year-old had a tall task on hand after he left Gladbach, his hometown club where he'd played since his childhood, and he is yet to truly assert himself.

Kurt's raw figure of seven goals in 15 appearances for Bayern's under-19 team looks respectable. However, he's only scored once since November, and the under-19 team is still two steps below the senior side. In a minimally competitive southern division in which the Bayern youth teams compete, one might have expected more until now.

With all that having been said, Kurt has the makings to become a star. Along with Timo Werner, Julian Brandt, Leroy Sane, Levin Oztunali and Jonathan Tah, he's one of the most highly rated players among an excellent set of German talents born in 1996. He has a powerful left foot and can not only finish well, but play with the ball at his feet. His all-around game makes him a very dangerous forward.

With Xherdan Shaqiri having left Bayern in January and Mario Gotze still struggling to make his mark at Bayern, there may soon be chances for Kurt to impose himself. Bayern have lacked width in attack during the absence of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, and with the star wingers aged 31 and 32, respectively, there will soon be a void in the Bayern attack needing to be filled. It may indeed be filled with superstar signings, but as of now, Kurt's prospects look much better than they did when his signing was confirmed last summer.

Joshua Kimmich

Tibor Illyes/Associated Press

Confirmed in January as a summer signing, Joshua Kimmich follows Kurt as Bayern's next talent acquired with an eye on the future. The 20-year-old was a star of the German under-19s' European Championship-winning side last summer and has since rapidly risen to prominence. He's a regular starter at Leipzig, and was called up to the German under-21 national team last October and again in March.

Renowned for his energy and quickness to close down space, Kimmich has the abilities the current Bayern midfield most needs at the moment. He's a hard tackler and an excellent ball-winner, but has even shown a nose for goal in recent weeks, as he's netted on more than one occasion.

Kimmich will find it a difficult jump to move from the 2. Bundesliga to a top-caliber side like Bayern, and he'll find plenty of competition for playing time in the form of current and rising stars. On the other hand, his talent is not to be underestimated and his experience in the second tier, although at a lower level than he'll find at Bayern, may put him ahead of Gaudino in the pecking order.

Niklas Dorsch

Defensive midfielder Niklas Dorsch joined Bayern from Nurnberg in 2012 and now captains the club's under-17 team, of which he (along with Marco Stefandl) is arguably the biggest talent. He's already made 10 appearances for Germany's under-17 side, starting in eight of 11 possible games since the beginning of the 2014-15 campaign.

A recent profile on the official website of the German FA (in German) compared Dorsch with Toni Kroos, a player who can be used in a variety of ways. Germany under-17 coach Marcel Lucassen declared him a "typical" player for a central midfield position, and used him both in an anchoring role and as a central attacking midfielder during qualifiers for this summer's European Championship.

Looking forward, Dorsch has some significant hurdles to overcome. Bayern have many central midfield options already and several more on their way in Hojbjerg, Gaudino and Kimmich. Not every talent is fulfilled, however, and especially if those ahead of him are unable to impose themselves, Dorsch could yet make a breakthrough.

@Mr_Bundesliga