Whenever a teenage player excels it’s easy to think that they could be the best in the world in their position for 10-15 years to come, but there are so many reasons why it can go wrong.
It tends to come down to attitude and fitness – Cesc Fabregas’ attitude was never in doubt, but injuries took their toll as their career went on and he clearly lost a yard of pace.
When he returned to Barcelona in 2011 it looked like he would become the eventual replacement for either Xavi or Iniesta in the midfield and it just appeared to be the perfect fit, but it didn’t completely work out and a return to the Premier League with Chelsea followed.
His reduced playing time saw a move to Monaco but he was never able to put together a full season, and it’s now reported that he’s made a surprise move to Serie B side Como.
There is a slight connection to Chelsea here as Dennis Wise works for the Italian side and it’s thought that he had a great influence on persuading Fabregas to make the move, but you still have to think his technical ability will see him stroll that level – if he can stay fit.