Top 25 Youngsters Who Could Be the Next Neymar

There are a number of talented youngsters in football and good managers do provide opportunities to younger players in order to help them develop into better players. There are many talented youngsters, but Brazilian international Neymar has to be considered as arguably the best prospect among all of them. The Santos forward has been prolific for his club despite being on the wings for most of the season and it is no surprise that he has also been called up for Brazil.

He is a brilliant prospect playing for Santos and though his club will be reluctant to lose him, it is inevitable that he will move to one of the top European clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona in the future. He has great technical ability on the ball and his tricks and skills can beat defenders. If he can perform consistently, he can be one of the world's best attacking players for sure.

Though he is still young, he is a player who has established himself as a superb young player. There are many young players looking to establish themselves in the near future and here are 25 players who could be considered as big players in the future.

Ahmed Musa

Club: VVV Venlo

Age: 19

Position: Winger

Country: Nigeria

There are a number of talented African football players in the world and Nigerian winger is one  of the most talented players to emerge from Nigeria. Ahmed Musa is a very talented winger who threatens the oppositions with his direct play and with a lot of pace and trickery, he has the ability to influence games.

He has been an important player for Dutch club VVV Venlo and helped them avoid relegation in the previous season by performing excellently. If he continues to impress, then there is every chance that he could attract the attentions of big clubs and could make a move to a top team in the future.

Juan Iturbe

Club: FC Porto

Age: 18

Position: Forward

Country: Argentina

Juan Manuel Iturbe is another talented South American player to make this list and could be an  excellent signing for FC Porto. He is technically excellent on the ball and has the ability to be hugely influential. He has played in the Paraguayan league and Argentinean league.

Though still young with a long way to go, he has the ability to be a success at the highest level with FC Porto in the future.

Ryo Miyaichi

Club: Arsenal

Age: 19

Position: Winger

Country: Japan

Ryo Miyaichi is a very talented winger signed by Arsenal in the previous January transfer window and he had an excellent impact for Feyenoord when he was sent out on loan for the latter half of the previous season. It is clear that he is yet to develop some aspects of his game, most notably his physicality especially if he is playing in the Premiership, but under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, he could be a very important player for the Gunners in the future. He will face a lot of competition for a place in the side but does have the ability to play at the highest level in the future.

M'Baye Niang

Club: Caen

Age: 17

Position: Striker

Country: France/Senegal

M’Baye Niang is one of the most talented teenagers in the world and despite being only 17 years of age, he has shown that he has the quality to play at the highest level. He possesses immense physicality despite being only a teenager and can be an exceptional player if he continues to progress at this rate. Niang, who plays for Caen, is likely to move to a big club if he continues to develop and could be a lethal striker for France in the future.

Adryan Tavares

Club: Flamengo

Age: 17

Position: Winger

Country: Brazil

Brazil have produced some of the finest attacking players in the past and there are more number of European clubs scouting for South American talents nowadays. Adryan Tavares seems to be a top talent and it will not be a surprise if he attracts the attention of clubs all over the world. He is a winger who can play on either side or even in the hole behind the main striker.

He scored some excellent goals in the U-17 World Cup recently and has been linked with a move to Manchester United who signed Brazilians Rafael da Silva and Fabio da Silva before the pair had made their Brazilian international debut.

Lucas Piazon

Club: Chelsea

Age: 17

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Country: Brazil

Chelsea are going through a period of transition, which is why they have had some inconsistent results this season. With age slowly catching up with Frank Lampard, it is important that Chelsea produce some top talents to replace these stalwarts. In Lucas Piazon and Josh McEachran, the Blues have two very talented youngsters who could be the future of the club. Lucas Piazon was signed from Sao Paulo by the Blue and has already produced some fine performances for the reserve side.

John Guidetti

Club: Manchester City

Age: 19

Position: Striker

Country: Sweden

Manchester City have some of the best strikers in the world in Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero and Roberto Mancini does rotate his strikers. However, it will be difficult for him to accommodate youngster John Guidetti in his team. Guidetti has been loaned out to Feyenoord where he has been prolific this season attracting a lot of attention for his superb and calm finishing skills.

City will be reluctant to sell him especially after Daniel Sturridge, who was a former City player, is doing very well at Chelsea. However, Guidetti will not be short of clubs and will need regular playing time in order to further improve.

Antoine Griezmann

Club: Real Sociedad

Age: 20

Position: Winger

Country: France

Antoine Griezmann is a very talented French winger who is currently playing for Real Sociedad. The 20-year-old winger is naturally talented and has the quality to play at the highest level for a top club in the future. He has the pace and quality to beat defenders and can finish excellently as well. He is one of the more important players for Real Sociedad but he could leave when he feels the time is right because there is bound to be interest from clubs for a player of his talent.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Club: Arsenal

Age: 18

Position: Winger

Country: England

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has only had limited opportunities for Arsenal since signing in the summer but has already impressed the Gunners' fans and is bound to get more opportunities in 2012. He has already impressed for the U-21 team and does have the quality to force his way into the Arsenal first team. It is clear that the manager Arsene Wenger has high hopes for him and the former Southampton midfielder could prove to be another astute signing for the Gunners.

David Alaba

Club: Bayern Munich

Age: 19

Position: Winger

Country: Austria

Bayern Munich have some of the best youngsters in their team and have an excellent youth set-up as well which helps them produce high quality players for the first team. David Alaba could be another young player who could shine for the Bundesliga giants in the near future. Alaba has been used from the bench on some occasions this season but he has shown that he could play a vital role in the future. He does have the quality to influence games and could have a bright future at Bayern Munich.

Gerard Deulofeu

Club: FC Barcelona

Age: 17

Position: Winger

Country: Spain

Barcelona have produced some of the best talents in the recent past and youngster Gerard Deulofeu could be another player to shine for the Catalan club in the future. It is clear that he is a player with a lot of talent but needs to be further developed to be a better player.

Pep Guardiola is a manager who has helped several players to mature in the side and Deulofeu could be another player who could be integrated into the main team. He will face severe competition for his place at Barcelona. He has the quality to make an impact for Barcelona but the question is whether he has the patience and the right attitude to excel at the club.

Raheem Sterling

Club: Liverpool

Age: 17

Position: Winger

Country: England

Liverpool are a team which are in a period of transition and in Kenny Dalglish, they have a manager who can take them forward and the manager is also a believer in strengthening the club by integrating academy prospects. Raheem Sterling has been a sterling performer in the youth teams for Liverpool in recent seasons and he does have a bright future ahead of him.

He does have the ability but has to show the right attitude and application in order to be a success at Anfield. He is likely to get opportunities in the near future and is likely to have the chance to establish himself as a regular in the future.

Rafa Alcantara

Club: FC Barcelona

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Country: Spain

FC Barcelona have one of the best youth academy setup in the world and they have some of the best youngsters playing in their academy. A number of Barcelona's first team players have come through the academy like Pedro Rodriguez and Sergio Busquets and their manager Pep Guardiola is a manager who encourages young players in the first team.

Thiago Alcantara is one of the best young midfielders to emerge recently from there and his brother Rafa is another player who looks promising for the future. Rafa Alcantara is also an attacking midfielder which is why it will be difficult for him to find enough playing time but with his talent, it will not be a surprise if Guardiola does give him the opportunity to impress at the Nou Camp.

Lucas Ocampos

Club: River Plate

Age: 17

Position: Winger

Country: Argentina

Though River Plate did not have a good season in the previous year, they continue to produce some of the best talents in the world. Youngster Lucas Ocampos is one of the most recent youngsters to emerge from the club and he looks a really talented player. Though still raw with a long way to go, he does have the quality to play at the highest and can score and create goals for his team. He will only continue to improve with more playing time and could be a vital player for his club in the near future.

Erik Lamela

Club: AS Roma

Age: 19

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Country: Argentina

Roma appointed a new manager, Luis Enrique, in the summer and did make a few interesting acquisitions in the summer. Erik Lamela was among the players to arrive in Rome and though they have not had the best start to their campaign, Lamela could turn out to be one of their best signings. He is clearly very talented which is why Roma paid a relatively high transfer fee to sign him from River Plate. Though he has had a slow start to his career at Roma, he has the quality to be a top player and will only continue to improve once he adjusts to the conditions and his new team-mates.

Andy Polo

Club: Universitario de Deportes

Age: 17

Position: Striker

Country: Peru

There are a number of talented young footballers in South America and Peruvian footballer Andy Polo is yet another superb talent to emerge from the continent. It is clear that Polo has the talent to be a top quality player considering that he uses his pace and positioning to good effect.

His composure in front of goal is impressive and he could develop into a fine striker in the right environment. He has attracted the interest of some of the biggest clubs in the world but his next transfer move would be very important because he needs to develop further to be a world class striker.

Mateo Kovacic

Club: Dinamo Zagreb

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfielder

Country: Croatia

There have been some excellent Croatian players in the past decade such as the likes of Niko Kranjcar and Luka Modric and youngster Mateo Kovacic has the quality to be a top player in the future. It is clear that he has the quality to be a world class midfielder and if he continues to progress, then he has the ability to excel at the highest level. It is not a surprise that he has been linked to big clubs but he needs to remain focused and his next transfer move could be important in deciding how his career goes.

Sergio Araujo

Club: Boca Juniors

Age: 18

Position: Striker

Country: Argentina

Boca Juniors are one of the biggest clubs in South America and they have been instrumental in producing several quality players in the past like Carlos Tevez. Sergio Araujo is one of the players who could be a top quality striker in the future. He looks to be technically excellent and has the pace and skills to beat defenders.

Argentina have been fortunate to have many top quality strikers in the recent past like Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain and Araujo could be one of the future stars if he continues to progress. If he performs consistently and shows the right attitude, it will not be long before some of Europe's big clubs are interested in acquiring the services of the striker.

Zakaria Labyad

Club: PSV

Age: 18

Position: Winger / Attacking Midfielder

Country: Morocco / Netherlands

Zakaria Labyad is another exciting talent currently playing in the Dutch league for PSV Eindhoven. He boasts of an array of skills and also plenty of pace and can beat defenders. He has also shown that he can be composed in front of goal and can also create goalscoring opportunities for other players in the team. It is clear that he is a very talented player and PSV will hope that they can retain him for a long time because he can have a big impact for them in the future.

Romelu Lukaku

Club: Chelsea

Age: 18

Position: Striker

Country: Belgium

Romelu Lukaku impressed for Anderlecht at a very young age and it was no surprise when Chelsea paid a relatively high transfer fee to sign the striker. He boasts an immense physique and looks like he can handle the physicality of the Premiership. Lukaku still has to work on his technique and on some other aspects but it is hard not to compare him with Didier Drogba, when the latter was young. Lukaku has the attributes needed to be a superb striker in the future but needs the right guidance and will hopefully be a regular for the Blues in the near future.

Manuel Lanzini

Club: Fluminese (on loan from River Plate)

Age: 18

Position: Attacking Midfielder 

Country: Argentina

Manuel Lanzini is one of the best young Argentinean midfielders to emerge recently and he is capable of playing at the highest level. He was one of the best players for River Plate in the previous season but could not prevent them from being relegated. He joined Fluminese on loan at the start of the season and despite being a teenager, he has already made a number of appearances for the Brazilian side and looks to have a bright future. If he continues to perform consistently, then there is little doubt that he will attract some of the European clubs as well.

Phillippe Coutinho

Club: Inter Milan

Age: 19

Position: Attacking Midfielder / Winger

Country: Brazil

Inter Milan have struggled since the departure of Jose Mourinho but under new manager Claudio Ranieri, they are once again finding their feet as they at least try to qualify for the Champions league this season. The team consist of some ageing players and do need youngsters to step up in the near future. One youngster who could be key to Inter Milan is Philippe Coutinho who was signed at a young age by the Italian club. It is clear that he is a player with a lot of talent and will be an integral player for the Italian side if he continues to develop.

Josh McEachran

Club: Chelsea

Age: 18

Position: Midfielder

Country: England

Josh McEachran is one of the finest talents to emerge from the Chelsea academy in the recent past and is technically excellent on the ball. He still has some way to go before establishing himself as a regular in the Blues side but he certainly has the quality to make an impact in the future. In the short term, a loan move to a Premiership club would give him more experience and could fast-track him into the Chelsea side. A loan move to Bolton worked for Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge and a loan move could similarly benefit the young midfielder.

Joel Campbell

Club: Lorient (on loan from Arsenal)

Age: 19

Position: Striker

Country: Costa Rica

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made several intelligent signings at bargain prices such as the transfer of Nicolas Anelka. The early indication with regard to Costa Rica striker Joel Campbell is that they may have made yet another superb signing at a cheap price. Campbell has already scored goals at the senior level for Costa Rica and has shown the ability to play at the highest level. It is good that he has a good learning spell at Lorient under Christian Gourcuff and will hopefully be granted a work permit to play for the Gunners in the next season.

Souleymane Coulibaly

Club: Tottenham

Age: 17

Position: Striker

Country: Ivory Coast

Tottenham have shown great quality this season and are on course to finish in the top four places at the minimum. They will want to ensure that they stay there for the future and continue to establish themselves as a top club in the future as well. The key to that is having excellent youngsters and they made a move in the right direction by beating the competition to sign Souleymane Coulibaly, who is only 17.

The young striker has shown that he has the quality to be a top quality striker in the future and was in sensational goalscoring form in the U-17 World Cup for Ivory Coast. He is very powerful for a player of his age and will only continue to progress with time as Spurs look to establish themselves as a top club for the future as well.