The Champions League group stage ended on Wednesday night…
The Champions League group stage has now ended, and the business end of the competition starts in February. Now is a good time to look back at the emerging talents to have proven themselves in the biggest club competition in the world.
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Here are five youngsters who proved themselves in the first stage of the competition this year…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, 21-years-old
Oxlade-Chamberlain was a bright spark in an Arsenal team which looked stale at times in the group. He seemed to take inspiration from Alexis Sanchez’s bustling style, and the high energy performances were a high point for the Gunners. A goal and an assist were the results.
Arthur Masuaku, Olympiakos, 21-years-old
The youngster impressed even though Olympiakos failed to qualify for the knockout rounds. He had the most successful dribbles of any player aged 21 or under in the groups, and will now look to continue this form in the Europa League.
Andy Najar, Anderlecht, 17-years-old
The 17-year-old played in every one of Anderlecht’s games as they made a strong effort of attempting to qualify from their group. He put in good performances in both of their matches against Arsenal, where his team impressed both home and away.
Paul Pogba, Juventus, 21-years-old
Letting the midfielder leave Manchester United might become one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest mistakes. He showed that he can dictate games on the biggest stage as he helped Juventus to qualify from their group.
Juan Bernat, Bayern Munich, 21-years-old
The youngster played every minute as Bayern Munich breezed through their group. He will be hoping that he can stay in the side when the big knockout matches start in a couple of months.