Scouting the Unsung Hotshots of the UEFA Youth League This Season

The UEFA Youth League gives us the opportunity to watch elite clubs’ “next generation” in action. The tournament, which pits the 32 Champions League teams’ under-19s against one another in the same groups as the seniors draw, stands the firmest test any prospect faces outside of international competition.

Certain clubs have used the tournament to blood untold amounts of youngsters. Chelsea, Anderlecht and Shakhtar Donetsk, for example, have produced dominant sides at that level and have all fast-tracked prospects into the first team following success.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Viktor Kovalenko are two shining examples of how differently it can go from there—one’s now firmly on the fringes of the team, while the other is the fulcrum of his side’s attack—but the opportunity is there.

At Bleacher Report this season, we’ve profiled some of the most exciting talents playing in the Youth League, ranging from Paris Saint-Germain’s Philipp Lahm-clone Alec Georgen, through Barcelona’s midfield hope Carles Alena and on to Juventus’ wonderkid Moise Kean. But what of the lesser-known prospects?

There are those who ply their trades for “lesser” beasts but have been extremely productive still. In this piece, we’ve moved the magnifying glass over the heads of some of the most impressive players so far, most of whom are statistical leaders in one category or another, in order to illuminate their talents.

Mergim Berisha, RB Salzburg

Take a look at Mergim Berisha’s season and you’ll see the murky, dual-contract world of Austrian football. The Kosovan plays for second-tier side FC Liefering on a weekly basis but joins up with RB Salzburg for their UEFA Youth League games. It’s a complicated issue for another time, but the two clubs are essentially entwined, and he’s able to play for both.

Berisha tops the Youth League goalscoring charts with seven, having played four games in the Domestic Champions Path. He’s also registered the most shots on target in the competition (14). It’s impossible to escape the fact he’s played poor teams thus far, but in February, when his RB Salzburg side take on a Champions League runner-up, we’ll see a true test of his talents.

For now, he’s showcasing an assured finish courtesy of some soft feet. He strikes the ball cleanly with his instep and guides shots accurately into corners. His somatotype …

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