5 Atletico Madrid Youngsters Who Deserve to See Playing Time in 2016/17

With a transfer ban hanging over Atletico Madrid ever since January, there has been a greater emphasis placed on the club's large array of talented young players, some of whom we are more than likely to see at some point in 2016/17.

Diego Simeone is a manager who remains loyal to those who continue to serve him well, and while the Argentinian coach will obviously have his own favourites that he'll wish to continually select in the new campaign, these kids will be knocking at his door and demanding inclusion.

With many now returned from impressive loan spells elsewhere, here are five who could make the breakthrough this coming season.

Rafael Santos Borre

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Now returned from a loan spell at former club Deportivo Cali in his homeland of Colombia, forward Rafael Santos Borre would appear to be set for a breakthrough season at Atletico Madrid.

The 20-year-old might not able to persuade Simeone to not splash the cash on a big name striker, but, as Bleacher Report's Karl Matchett noted, he is set for a crucial pre-season at the club as he looks to earn the trust of a coach who is likely to find him extremely useful in the new campaign.

Although called up twice for Colombia's senior team, he is still awaiting his first full international cap, but that looks to be just a matter of time for a player whose career is on the up and up.

Diogo Jota

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Being a Portuguese footballer must be pretty fun right now given what happened at Euro 2016, and when you're an exciting teenage Portuguese footballer, then all the better.

Diogo Jota joins up with Atletico Madrid after signing from Pacos de Ferreira in March, and the 19-year-old, who won't play for his country at the Olympic Games in Rio despite having picked up one cap for the under-23 side, is being helped to settle in to Madrid life by his compatriot Tiago, according to Marca.

Clearly possessing an eye for goal, Jota's 12 strikes helped Pacos de Ferreira to a respectable seventh place finish in Portugal in 2015/16. He'll be hoping for much higher in his first campaign with Atletico.

Bernard Mensah

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Now somewhat established in his senior national team, Ghana's Bernard Mensah returns to Atletico Madrid from a loan spell at Getafe to find the attacking midfield ranks at his club well stocked.

That won't stop him trying to impress Simeone, though, and his work rate and tenacity going forward is sure to resonate with his manager, who has thinned the midfield ranks somewhat by loaning Matias Kranevitter to Sevilla for the season.

Mensah might end up having to be patient, and it could be that another loan move is on his horizon, but he deserves a chance to show Simeone what he's got in pre-season, and after that anything's possible.

Emiliano Velazquez

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After two seasons of maturing on loan at Getafe, centre-back Emiliano Velazquez is now back at Atletico Madrid, a club where Uruguayan defenders are loved by both the manager and fans alike.

A season of playing understudy to Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez could await the 22-year-old, but he showed enough at Getafe to indicate that he'd be perfectly up to that job, maturing as he featured for most of the campaign despite his side's relegation.

With the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey to negotiate, Velazquez could well get plenty of chances in the new campaign, but he is just as likely to learn as much off the pitch training with the likes of Godin, Gimenez and Stefan Savic as he is on it.

Lucas Hernandez

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He's been around the first team for a while now and so it is easy to forget that Lucas Hernandez is still just 20 years old, and he won't turn 21 until February.

But the young Frenchman served notice of his quality with some fine displays in the Champions League last season, and he deserves to be seen more often in the coming campaign.

A French youth international, Hernandez appears comfortable in a variety of roles across the back line, and if he can force his way into the team in 2016/17, then it could well be difficult to shift him out of it.