Man Utd’s Chong, Real’s Rodrygo among emerging talents at ICC
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens and Steve Nicol examine how Harry Maguire would impact Man United’s defence if they sign the Leicester star. (1:54)
The world’s biggest clubs will go head-to-head in the International Champions Cup, which kicks off on Tuesday across the United States, Europe and Asia. U.S. viewers can watch all matches across ESPN’s platforms. Check out our ICC landing page here.
The tournament will give the clubs to showcase top young talent. Here’s who you should keep your eyes on.
– International Champions Cup: All you need to know
– Full International Champions Cup daily fixture schedule
– ICC: News and coverage
Tahith Chong — Manchester United
The focus of Manchester United’s attempted regeneration this summer has been toward youth. That’s manifested itself in the purchases of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, but it could also come from within, and there are a crop of youngsters who could at the very least form part of the United first-team squad this season. Chong perhaps has the best chance of breaking through, given the uncertainty surrounding United’s attacking players: a lithe and rapid winger with a wand of a left foot, if he makes a good impression in the ICC, we could be seeing much more of him this season.
Oliver Skipp — Tottenham Hotspur
There is a spot potentially open in midfield for Tottenham this season. New record signing Tanguy Ndombele will be the first name down, but there are question marks over most others who could play alongside him. Harry Winks has injury issues, Eric Dier has regressed, as has Victor Wanyama while you wonder whether Moussa Sissoko can sustain last season’s form. And then there’s Skipp: granted scant chances last season, he nonetheless looked impressive, and if he performs in the coming weeks then he’ll force himself to the forefront of Mauricio Pochettino’s thinking.
Moise Kean — Juventus
In some respects Kean doesn’t belong on this list: he established himself as one of the most promising talents in Europe last season and everyone should know already how good he is, but given the number of quality attackers ahead of him in the pecking order at Juventus, he still has a point to prove. There have even been reports that Juve might get rid of Kean this summer, either to raise funds for their spending spree or in exchange for Mauro Icardi. However, if he performs as he can do in pre-season, they may realise he’s too valuable to let go.
– Miller: W2W4 at the International Champions Cup
– Ogden: Pogba, Ozil facing make-or-break seasons
– Dawson: Solksjaer has a long to-do list at Man Utd’s preseason
Gabriel Martinelli — Arsenal
Arsenal fans haven’t had much to be optimistic or excited about this summer, so you can understand why there’s been more notice than usual paid to Martinelli, at the time of writing their sole signing. An 18-year-old striker signed from Ituano, it’s probably to Martinelli’s benefit that he plays in one of the few positions Arsenal are fairly well stocked. This will allow him time to progress and get used to his surroundings, without the pressure of having to perform straight away. But if he does perform straight away, imagine the excitement …
Alphonso Davies — Bayern Munich
Having just played a prominent role in Canada’s Gold Cup campaign, Davies was expected to give Bayern’s early pre-season games a miss in order to recover. However, he knows opportunity knocks in Munich this summer, the departures of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben meaning there are spots available on the wings for Niko Kovac’s side, so he returned early. And even though he’s still only 18, his skill and versatility could easily help force his way into Kovac’s plans.
Florentino Luis — Benfica
After the departure of Joao Felix to Atletico Madrid for a whopping €126m, all eyes will be on which talented youngster will come through the Benfica ranks next. David Tavares is a name that has been mentioned, but he might miss chunks of pre-season with a knee injury. So the most likely candidate is probably central midfielder Florentino Luis, who has already reportedly attracted attention from Manchester City and PSG, after only a handful of appearances in the first-team. A defensive midfielder with a fine positional sense and quickness of mind and body, Benfica recently tied him down to a new contract, so once again any suitors will have to dig deep.
Renan Lodi — Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid are one of a few teams undergoing a regeneration this summer, with the departures of key players like Diego Godin, Rodri and Antoine Griezmann. Those who have come in are not such established names, and that includes Brazilian left-back Lodi, just 18-years-old and signed from Athletico Paranaense. He’s not short of confidence, either. “I would say I define myself as an athlete,” he said, upon arriving in Madrid earlier in July. “I defend well and I attack very well.” If he plays as well as he talks, Atleti could have a star on their hands.
Rodrygo — Real Madrid
We already know a fair amount about some of the players Real Madrid have spent millions on this summer, most notably Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic. Eder Militao has a season in Portugal under his belt while Ferland Mendy has been a mainstay at Lyon for a couple of years. However, those of us who concentrate on the European game will be most interested to see forward Rodrygo, how he might break into the Real first-team and how he could fit while he’s there. With a clutch of other wide players to compete with, it will be fascinating to get a look at Real’s latest great Brazilian hope.
Valentino Lazaro — Inter
Antonio Conte has suggested that he will start life as Inter head coach with a 3-4-3 system, the one that brought him so much success at Chelsea. But in that formation the two wide players are arguably the most important, both in defence and attack, to it will be intriguing to see how Lazaro fits in. A winger by trade, Lazaro has filled in at right-back for Hertha Berlin before, so that combined with his energy and industry suggests he’s the ideal candidate to fill the crucial role on the right. Indeed, that might mean the pressure is on for this 21-year-old, under the watchful, sergeant major gaze of Conte.